Clone Wars: Dark Leader
by lordtrayus
Summary: The Clone Wars have begun! Master Depa Billaba is sent to fetch a group of Jedi and bring them to Coruscant. However, this simple mission turns sour when Count Dooku reveals his newest general, a Nightsister called Xalma.Will the Jedi escape their new foe
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:I do not own Star Wars**

1

**Location: Alpheridies, 15 days after the Battle of Geonosis**

**Status: Republic Cruiser **_**Errand **_**prepared to take inhabitants of academy to Coruscant**

Alpheridies was the homeworld of the Miraluka. Once it had been home to another species, but wasn't now. Now, the beautiful planet, full of vast rolling plains, beautiful cities and clear blue oceans, was untouched by pollution or the corruption of the Republic.

Or so they thought.

The war had begun just two weeks ago, on the sandy planet of Geonosis. When Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala had been captured and convicted of espionage, Mace Windu had led two hundred Jedi to the planet in an attempt to rescue them and prevent the massive droid army that Count Dooku was using from being let loose on the galaxy.

The rescue mission had turned into a death trap, with 186 Jedi dying on the planet, including Jedi Council members Eeth Koth and Coleman Trebor. Yoda had arrived with the clone army, and the tide had turned, but as Dooku escaped, so too did the war. The galaxy had erupted into the Clone Wars, the Republic, Jedi and clone army on one side, with the Separatists, Dark Jedi and droid army on the other. The galaxy was no longer safe, and that was what brought Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her Padawan Greeta Elga, to the planet.

Depa Billaba was a member of the Jedi Council, a former Padawan of Mace Windu. Like her Master, she practiced the Vaapad lightsaber form. A deep, spiritual woman, she was a Chalachtan, and was normally entrusted with teaching the younger learners in the Temple. While the rest of the Council was away, she had remained behind on Coruscant to watch after the younglings, and had tried to comfort them when they had felt the deaths of so many Jedi. It was due to her skill with the children that she was here on Alpheridies. While the great machine of war started to encompass more and more planets, Depa Billaba was sent to get the precious Jedi younglings on the Alpheridies Academy away to Coruscant, to safety.

Greeta Elga was a Rodian, and had been Depa's Padawan for two years. She came not from Rodia, but from the bounty hunter planet of Ord Mantell. She had been found there by Jedi Knight Pablo-Jill, who had been on the planet to bring peace. Since then, she had accompanied her Master on various missions. Now, with the advent of war, things had changed, and Greeta felt that Depa was going to have to rush her training.

They were in the Academy on Alpheridies, a building in the shape of three bubbles joined together, where three Jedi Masters, and two Jedi Knights, trained around twenty Padawans in the ways of the Force.

The Academy was led by Master Deena Vixx, a human woman from Alderaan. She was in her fifties, had a caring face, blonde-grey hair and bright blue eyes. At her waist was a lightsaber that she rarely had to use, until now.

"A dreadful business Master Billaba." she said softly.

Depa nodded, her braids bouncing.

"Indeed. A thousand years we've stood without a full scale war, and then suddenly one within a few days. Most distressing."

She fingered her Mark of Illumination.

"But it will hopefully be only a passing shadow. A dark chapter in galactic history." she said determinedly.

"Quite. Well, we're all ready Master Depa. Should I get the young ones?"

"Please do." she said.

Greeta came up behind her Master.

"Something's not right. I have a bad feeling…"

Depa arched her eyebrow at her apprentice.

"Don't you dare say 'about this'. When ever someone says that, things go wrong."

The Academy doors opened to reveal a young Jedi Master, a Miraluka with blond hair. He was tall and muscular, and was the resident Guardian of the Academy. His name was Raxin Quille.

The second Master was an Ithorian by the name of Freda Habat. Descended from the ancient Jedi Mamaw Habat, and her son Chodo who had resurrected Telos, she was the last in line, her brother having die before he could have any children. She was the resident Sentinel, and was also very powerful in the Force.

"Greetings Master Billaba." Raxin said in a deep voice.

"Master Raxin, Master Freda, greetings." Depa said.

"A sad state of affairs that we should have to abandon our home." Freda said sadly.

Depa nodded in understanding.

"Quite. But Dooku's troops are en route here, so its best we get the younglings away, and leave the rest of the work to the clones."

She then pointed at the two Accumulator cruisers that were landing in the nearby plains.

Deena then returned with all twenty of the younglings, ranging from the ages of five to fifteen, as three of them were Padawans to the Academy Masters.

"Come along then younglings, onto the ship." Deena said, ushering the children on board, as the others smiled.

Depa frowned as Deena came back out.

"That's all of them on board Master Billaba."

Depa nodded.

"Good. We must move quickly if we are to beat the orbit."

Freda raised her eyeridge.

"Orbit? What orbit?"

Depa sighed.

"We are to go to Coruscant by the quickest route. Thus, we must pass through the Darkron system."

The Darkron system was a nightmarish place. At one stage, it had been a research outpost. But the scientists had disturbed something on the moon, and since then, the planet had died off, and the moon had become a dumping ground for all manner of terrible creatures. It was an evil place, and steeped in the dark side.

"That's madness." Raxin protested.

"Perhaps. But it's the quickest route, and the Padawans wont last a long journey. Come. Let us proceed."

With that, the Jedi entered the red cruiser, bound for Coruscant.

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**Location: Republic Cruiser **_**Errand**_

**Status: Ready for takeoff**

"We'll need to be fast Master Jedi." Captain Kirkus, a middle aged man with wide shoulders and brown hair, said.

"Very well. Put all the speed in you can Captain. Get us to Coruscant with all due haste." Depa said as she sat behind him.

The other Jedi were in the main hold, and all was ready.

"Must we go that route Master Billaba? Its very risky." Ensign Reed said, a woman from Corulag, with auburn hair and a small frame.

Depa sighed.

"Yes, I'm afraid we must."

With that, the scarlet ship leapt upwards, and headed for Coruscant.

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**Location: **_**Lucrehulk **_**cruiser **_**Malicious**_

**Status: Awaiting orders**

The sun far below the small fleet was leaking radiation again. She could feel it.

She was called Xalma.

She was a Nightsister of Dathomir, a force witch of great power. She had escaped on a small fighter drone several years ago, when it had landed on the planet to take readings. She, and her two male slaves, had crammed themselves in when they had found it, and had been taken onto a freighter. The inhabitants got quite a shock when one of the Witches appeared in their hold, Force Lightning crackling at her fingertips. She had slaughtered the crew, and had made her way to civilisation.

Now, eight years later she had everything she could want. She was a General in the Confederacy of Independent Systems, had hosts of droids at her call, her two slaves behind her, and a desire to kill Jedi that burned in the Force. The Jedi had turned Dathomir into its primitive state, and she wanted revenge, and she would get it. On any Jedi that stood in her way.

The door opened behind her, and one of her twin slaves, Slinker, came in.

Slinker had been found in a freighter crash, and he had landed on Dathomir after evading justice and escaping Oovoo IV. His brother, who she called Stinker, had been with him. Slinker was the better of the two on all fronts.

He was tall, muscly, with black hair to his shoulders and was also force sensitive. Stinker on the other hand, was short, gangly, twisted and evil, with black hair also, and red eyes. He was also force sensitive, and Xalma had trained the two of them the best she could.

"What is it?" she asked in her deadly, quiet voice.

"We have information mistress. A Republic task force means to set up a base on the Darkron moon, to monitor our communications."

She smiled evilly and purred.

"Excellent. Prepare my fleet. We go to the Darkron moon."

Slinker bowed and left, and she smiled. Now it would begin.

There was a beep, and she turned to her holoprojector.

Dooku materialised before her, hiss tern eyes piercing her.

"General Xalma." he greeted.

"Count Dooku." she said, inclining her head as her robes swept around her.

Dooku smiled.

"It may interest you to know General, that a Jedi Master by the name of Depa Billaba is en route to Coruscant. With your gravity wells you could pull her out of lightspeed and kill several Jedi that she has with her."

Xalma smiled fully.

"Excellent. Where are they?"

"Heading to the Darkron system according to my information."

Xalma laughed.

"Excellent." she said, and turned Dooku off, headed for the bridge.

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**Location: Solar Sailor**

**Status: Quiet**

Dooku frowned as she vanished.

"I do hate it when she does that." he muttered.

**General Xalma at last. **

**Will she succeed in catching Master Billaba or not? More to come of this bad guy, trust me! **

**Until next time, please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

2

**Location: **_**Errand**_

**Status: En route to Coruscant**

Depa observed as Deena's Padawan, a human named Sammy, blocked a swing from Freda's Padawan Freyl, who was a Twi'lek.

A boy of fifteen, Sammy was medium height and build, with sandy blonde hair, piercing green eyes and very balanced in the Force.

Freyl however, was a blue skinned Twi'lek, was very tall and fiery.

"Move your feet Padawan." Freda said from the sidelines, as the two clashed.

The two were practising lightsaber moves, as when it became clear that Dooku was a Sith Lord, Yoda had ordered that all Jedi learn to duel a bit better than they could manage normally.

Sammy leapt high, and kicked down at Freyl, who flipped onto the table, and then sprang back at Sammy. Sammy blasted the Twi'lek with a force push, and his blade came flying out of his hand. Sammy pointed his blade at Freyl, who groaned.

"You win again." he said grudgingly.

Sammy smirked and put his lightsaber away.

"Master Depa, can you duel?" a small Selonian girl called Xammi asked.

Depa smiled.

"Of course."

"Can we see?" she asked excitedly.

There was then a great clamouring of excitement from the younglings, and the Padawans started to urge Depa to do it with.

Depa grinned.

"Very well. But I cant duel myself. Master Quille?"

"I would be honoured Master Billaba." he said, getting to his feet.

Allya, a pink skinned Zeltron sitting beside Sammy whistled.

"Come on Master."

Raxin smiled, and ignited his blue lightsaber. He was a practitioner of Form II, Makashi, and would be a fine opponent for Depa.

Depa smiled as she lit her own green saber, and raised her saber to an en guarde position.

She then gave a scream and sprang at the Miraluka. Raxin was on the defensive at once, his blue blade meeting Depa's as she slashed at him from above. She the proceeded to unleash a full fledged attack on him, but Raxin's defence was impeccable, parrying the long slashes and high strikes of the Council member. Depa's blade was a tapestry of light as she launched up and down around the room, trying to get past the Miraluka's defences. The other just calmly deflected the attacks one at a time, and eventually Depa came to a stop.

"You fight well Master Depa. But you use your power up too quickly, leaving you blind to other threats, and also too exhausted to fight any further."

With that another end of his lightsaber blazed to life, and he attacked with his double blades. Depa was hard pressed to stop them, and was forced back.

"Come on Master!" Greeta called.

Raxin backed Depa to the wall, and grinned as he lowered his saber.

"You are beaten Master Depa. Remember what I said, especially in these times." he warned.

Depa then smiled.

"Its you who should remember what you said."

With that, Greeta's lightsaber leapt off her belt and into Depa's hand, and the fight was on once again, though this time Raxin was being forced backwards. Raxin was forced back, slowly but surely.

"You should remember Master Raxin, that you should always be aware of your surroundings. And also that the Force can give great vitality, even when you are exhausted."

She then attacked with all her strength, her Jar'Kai Vaapad beating down his Makashi, which was slowing down, and then with a deft manoeuvre, Depa ducked under him, butted him in the stomach, and crashed her two blades into his saber, throwing it away. She the pointed her blades at his throat.

"Yield." she said happily.

Raxin sighed and nodded, and she deactivated her lightsabers and threw Greeta's back to her.

"Always be aware of your surroundings Raxin."

He smiled.

"I bow to your greater wisdom in this affair."

The ship suddenly blasted out of lightspeed and they were thrown to the floor.

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**Location: Accumulator cruiser **_**Terrador, **_**in orbit around Darkron**

**Status: Under heavy attack**

"Commander Worikil, we are outgunned. Most of our gunships are down, and the Seps are bombing the stuffing out of us." a clone said.

Worikil frowned. He didn't like clones much, feeling they were weird, but they served their purpose. A skeletal man with a handlebar moustache, he was bald on top and had a stern discipline.

And even he knew the clone was right.

"Agreed. What shuttles do we have left? And gunships?"

"Only eight gunships left sir, and two shuttles, aside from the last four in the hangars. The Jedi are still out there though."

Worikil nodded. Masters Thalin Te and Gravix were to help protect the base while they set up, but they hadn't expected to meet a Confederacy fleet in orbit, least of all one with gravity wells to prevent them from escaping.

A female Snivvian came up behind him. Her name was Teelin, and she was the apprentice of the Togruta Jedi Thalin Te.

"We have one choice Captain. To scuttle." she said calmly.

Worikil stroked his moustache. He was loathe to abandon the ship, and its two escort corvettes, but he had no choice. They were outnumbered. Three _Lucrehulk_s, six missile frigates and four Rocketships were quite enough to make you want to change careers.

"Tell the other commanders to abandon their ships. Get all people to the escape pods. Also, get the gunships down to the moon, along with whatever other ships we have out there. Get whatever's in the hangar up and running too, and lets get out of here." he ordered the clones.

He turned to the Jedi.

"Want to take your fighter?" he asked.

"No. It was blown up earlier. I'll stay with you." she said.

She rushed from the bridge as yet another blast rocked the ship.

Outside, the new ship was burning. Massive holes had been punctured all the way up and down the vessel, and smoke was emitting from several points. The engines were aflame, and the hangar was mostly a ruin.

Worikil took her to his private shuttle, in the private hangar behind the bridge. Several troops were in the hangar, evacuating some supplies.

"Get on the ship!" he barked.

The troops rushed in, and a minute later, the shuttle streaked out just as the bridge exploded. Escape pods were firing out of all three ships, hurtling down into the moon's atmosphere. The gunships were breaking off and flying to the moon's surface, along with the Jedi fighters and the remaining shuttles. The last of the ships inside the _Terrador _flew out of the hangar, and the ship gave a last shudder, and exploded.

Then, they saw a red Republic cruiser shoot out of nowhere, and head for the planet, fire coming out of its tail.

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**Location: **_**Malicious**_

**Status: Winning**

"General Xalma, the Republic fleet is breaking apart. The abandon ship order has been given." a droid reported.

"Excellent. We have done well. Get a landing craft ready. I want to find those Jedi myself." she whispered.

"Yes mam."

"Should we pursue the fighters?" her Gossam captain asked.

"No. Leave them to me. They wont get far. They'd have to get through our blockade first." she said.

"Mistress." Stinker said.

"What is it?"

He just pointed, and she smiled.

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**Location: **_**Errand**_

**Status: In trouble**

Depa shrieked as she ran to the cockpit, the younglings wailing behind her. Deena came with her, as did Greeta.

"Captain, whats happened?"

"It's a war zone!"

"Strap in back there!" Deena cried, as turbolaser blasts and missiles came flying towards them.

Depa seized the comm as the two pilots attempted to get them out of trouble.

"This is Jedi Master Depa Billaba to all Republic forces! Come in!"

There was only a crackling noise.

"Oh deary me." she whispered.

"Master Billaba, we cant escape, and the fleet is done for!" Reed screamed.

The entire ship rocked as a massive barrage of missiles just missed them, but blew off the engines

"Oh faces." Depa said, and the ship started to plummet towards the moon.

"Hold on!" she ordered, and they hoped for the best.

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**Location: Jedi Starfighter**

**Status: Damaged**

Master Gravix, an Anx from Gravlex Med, smiled as the ship shot past.

"Master Depa Billaba. As usual, when I'm in trouble, you've appeared." he said with a smile.

He then led what remained of the task force's space forces to the moon, as the last of the Republic ships blew apart behind him.

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**Location: **_**Malicious**_

**Status: Victorious**

Xalma smirked as the beaten Republic forces headed for the moon, some more willingly than others.

"Get three landers ready, and blockade the moon. Nothing is to escape while we hunt down the Jedi and their troops. They will not escape." she smiled evilly, and started to laugh.

Below her, the cruiser was in flames, several life pods went off target and crashed into rock formations, some plunged out of sight, some shuttles managed a safe landing, the others made it down roughly, the starfighters landed as did the gunships. But they were all far apart from each other, on the desolate moon of Darkron, full of monsters, dark beats, and coveted by a ferocious Nightsister and her droid armies.

**Our new bad guy has shown some of her abilities. The Republic forces are in deep trouble now.**

**What will happen next? Until I update, please read and review, and could you do my other Clone Wars ones too? Please!**

**Byee**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

3

**Location: **_**Errand**_

**Status: Crashing**

The attack had blown the back of the ship off, and the ship was hurtling towards the moon's surface.

"Hold on! Strap in!" Greeta called behind her.

Depa gritted her teeth as the ship entered the moon's atmosphere. They then began their descent. The ship scraped along the top of a treacherous peak, and that started the ship spinning in a circle, where it clipped off against several other sharp rocks. It then started to slide down a mountainside rumbling as it went, dirt and stone flying around them. The ship then shot off a ledge, and went tumbling to a stop on a narrow ledge, smoke trailing from it, its front crushed and balanced precariously, prepared to fall at any moment.

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**Location: **_**Errand**_**, Darkron**

**Status: Crashed**

Two minutes later, Depa struggled to her feet. Kirkus and Reed were both dead, having flown through the viewscreen when they had come to a stop.

"Deena? Greeta?" she asked anxiously.

She found Deena first, wedged in between the chair and the console.

"Are you alright?" Depa asked as she pulled the other Jedi to her feet.

"I've been better." she said miserably.

Greeta then stirred behind them. She had managed to grab hold of a bar that had been jarred loose and had stopped herself falling.

"Master, my arm…" she said weakly.

Depa frowned as she felt her apprentice's arm. It was only dislocated. With a great heave, it went back into its socket.

"Come, we must get out of here." Depa said.

The cockpit was over the drop, and it was starting to weigh on the rock they were on, and was rocking steadily.

The three Jedi entered the salon pod, and found their allies.

"Raxin, are they all alright?" Deena asked.

Raxin, who had a large cut down his face, nodded grimly.

"They're fine."

Freda then gave a squeal.

"We're two short!"

Depa looked at her in alarm.

"Two?"

"Yes, Xammi and Palloo!"

The little Selonian, and her Ho'Din friend.

"I shall look for them. In the meantime, get everyone out of here. Take all that can be found, medical supplies, blankets, food, that sort of thing. And get out of this ship. Work your way up the hill side before this ship falls off. And do not use any lights if you can avoid it. It will broadcast our presence like a neon sign on this moon." she said.

While the others evacuated the ship, Depa slipped out the hole that had been made when a jagged rock had tore off one of the doors. She hoped the two had only went out to explore. She would be annoyed, but they would be safe.

An hour later, she found them. The two of them were sprawled out on the mountainside. She only felt one life. She dashed upwards, and knelt beside them. Little Xammi was dead. Her fragile backbone had cracked in two when she had hit the rock, and hadn't had any chance to save herself. However, Palloo, her friend, was alive. Depa touched him, and he awoke with a start.

"Master Depa!" he said tearfully, and she hugged him to her.

"I tried. We lost our balance when we hit a rock, and we tumbled out. I tried to create a Force cushion, but I couldn't make it big enough for the two of us. I killed her!" he wailed.

Depa rocked the five year old and whispered in his ear.

"No you didn't dear. You did the best you could in such a situation. You did not kill her, the Separatist commander did. Now come." she got up, took his hand and gently dragged him away from Xammi.

"What about Xammi?" he asked in fear.

Depa closed her eyes in sadness.

"I'm sorry, carrying her body is not practical, and we cant set it alight, or the enemy will find us. We must leave her my dear." she said sadly, feeling horrible.

Palloo nodded sadly, and allowed Depa to take him away.

They reached the others half an hour later, as it was much easier going downhill.

"Xammi?" Deena asked urgently.

Depa shook her head, and Deena blinked back tears.

"Poor girl." she whispered.

The others were all outside the ship.

"Report Master Raxin." Depa said while Deena mastered herself.

Raxin sighed.

"We have got as many supplies as we've got left, which should see us through for about two weeks, all being well. We also have two load lifters, which will be useful for the younglings to sit on when they get tired, assuming we can get them down these terrible mountains. We've got water for a week or so, and enough blankets for everyone, and we have a crate of blasters should we need them. We also have the medical droid. It's got a dent in its head, but aside from that, its fine. We also salvaged all the scanners we could."

Depa nodded. They were in better shape than they ought to be in.

"I saw a small path back there which should lead down to the canyon. We can make our way from there. I feel other Jedi, which will be useful in getting off this moon. Right, get everyone going, and give me the scanner."

As Raxin and the other two carried out her orders, Depa went to her Padawan, after looking at the information on the moon on the scanner. It wasn't to her liking.

"I'd rather not be here." she said.

Greeta looked at her.

"Isnt this a dumping ground for monsters?" she asked.

Depa nodded grimly.

"Yes. I fear we shall not get through this journey unscathed. And there is an ancient darkness here, the thing that destroyed the scientist's outpost. I don't know what it is, only that we don't want to meet it."

Greeta shuddered.

"What shot us down?"

Depa arched her eyebrow.

"I would have thought that obvious my Padawan. A missile launcher."

"You now what I mean."

Depa smiled sadly.

"Yes, I do. I feel we have been shot down by a new enemy of the Jedi. Whoever it was, they were very powerful in the Dark Side, and full of evil. And they were female. Let us hope that we do not run into her on our travels."

The two of them went to the rest, who were ready to depart. Some of the youngest children were on top of the load lifters, which were stocked up with supplies.

"Right, come along. Now we face the eternal night of Darkron. Move quickly and quietly. According to the scanner, it's a four day journey to the old outpost. With luck, our presence may go unnoticed. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things that droids on this infernal moon." she said, and led her downcast team onwards.

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**Location: Darkron, canyon floor**

**Status: Restless**

"Well, how good a situation are we in Commander Rocket?" Worikil asked the clone with red on his armour.

"We have enough supplies to last us two weeks sir. We also have the Jedi, which is good, and several crates of weapons. The only thing we're lacking is medical supplies." Rocket reported.

Worikil stroked his moustache, and beckoned to the Jedi.

"Are any of you three healers?" he asked.

Gravix nodded, his anchor like head bobbing.

"I am. Master Thalin gets by." he said.

"Good. Now, how many clones do we have Commander?" he asked the clone.

"Here, the four you had on your ship, the three that were with me on the escape pod with me, and the two that survived the crash landing of that gunship." he said sadly.

Thalin Te, who was a tall, blood red Togruta with white crescent moons encircling his eyes, sighed grimly.

"Ten clones, you captain, and three Jedi. How many other ships made it down?" he asked,

"Four more gunships. At least ten escape pods, and one more shuttle. And the _Consular _that crash landed should have survived."

Teelin nodded.

"They're alive. We would have felt it if Master Billaba had died. It's definitely her."

"Then our priority is to meet up with them. Seemingly, according to the briefing Republic HQ gave me before we left on the mission, she is carrying a generation of Jedi younglings. We must find her and help her protect them." Worikil declared.

"Agreed. And we must hope that whoever is in charge up there will leave us be." Gravix said, and motioned for the clones to get the stuff on the loader speeder.

However, as if to mock him, three landing craft then descended down from space and dispersed themselves over the moon.

"Hmm. Bugger." Thalin said.

Teelin frowned.

"The darkness of this moon will mean it will be very easy for them to find us if we use any bright lights. We must use as little light as possible, or our enemies will find us." she said, looking at her master.

Thalin nodded.

"Very wise my Padawan. Come, we must find Master Depa, and then we can hopefully overcome this moon together. The ships wont get past that blockade anyway, so we may as well just leave them here. Let us hope we can unite with the rest of the evacuees, and Master Depa before long. Now come."

With that, the small company set off down the canyon.

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**Location: **_**Malicious**_

**Status: On assignment**

"Count Dooku." Xalma purred.

Dooku raised an eyebrow.

"You seem rather happy General."

"I am. Depa Billaba is on the moon below with a host of other Jedi. And I do not intend for her to escape. The moon is blockaded, and she will not escape. I am going to kill every single one of them."

Dooku frowned.

"Be careful General. There is a creature of great power on that moon."

Xalma smiled.

"There are many things, and I should be able to bend them to my will."

Dooku smiled faintly.

"If you say so. But be wary. Depa Billaba is a very powerful Jedi. Do not underestimate her."

Xalma smiled.

"Don't worry Count. I can feel her from up here. Her fear is like a stench. She fears to walk across that moon, and meet any of the beasts that live there. That's to say nothing of what is to happen when my army gets down there. I am going to kill her."

She was so happy, she turned off Doou again.

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**Location: Dooku's Estate, Serenno**

**Status: Irritated**

"Must she keep doing that?" he asked to the darkness.

**The first death has occured.**

**There will be plenty more by the end of this story unfortunately, as Xalma begins to come into her own. **

**This story has connations of the road through the Mines of Moria in it, but I can assure you that the nasty beastie Depa fears is not a Balrog. **

**Plenty more deaths to come, and I'm making it up as I go along, with the chapters at least, so be prepared for the next one at any time. **

**And please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

4

**Location: Darkron Canyon**

**Status: Quiet**

Depa led her subdued company through the dark canyon. It had taken them several hours to navigate slowly down from where there ship had crashed. They were now on the canyon floor, surrounded by darkness, hunted by their unseen enemy. And also by a host of other, smaller and nastier ones.

"Master?" Orow, a small, one eyed Abyssin asked Deena.

"I see them. They are cannoks, creatures from the moon of Dxun. Not nice. They hopefully wont attack us." she whispered.

Depa frowned as the small band made its way through the canyon. Cannoks weren't the only problem. Droids had definitely landed, and there was a Force user after them.

And there were now other creatures appearing, and if they had to fight, their presence would be given away by the light from their weapons.

Other creatures were now starting to take notice of the party, and several pairs of eyes started to peek out of crevices, and howls echoed across the wind. Crimson eyes followed their progress through the eternal night. Depa could feel the rising fear of the apprentices. To be truthful, she felt scared herself.

Raxin walked beside Depa.

"They are getting frightened. The med droid will slow us down if we're attacked by creatures. The children will panic and scatter, and then we've all had it." he whispered.

"Quiet." she retorted.

They trudged on, and Depa felt rising anxiousness. The beasts were certainly getting ready to attack.

"Master, what's that noise?" Krass, a Bothan boy asked fearfully.

There was a sound like footsteps approaching from the turn in the canyon.

Depa looked around fearfully. Nowhere to hide. As soon as whatever it was came around the corner, they would be spotted.

"Get ready. Younglings, behind us please." Freda ordered calmly.

The others and the Padawans took their positions.

"Under no circumstances…" Depa began.

The thing that was approaching came around the corner before she finished, and Raxin and the three Padawans lit their sabers.

"NO!" Depa screamed, letting out a Force wave.

The others fell to the ground, and their sabers turned off, plunging them back into the darkness.

"Hold fire!" a voice boomed.

The thing that had been approaching was another group of survivors.

"Master Billaba, a relief as always to see you my dear." Gravix said, coming forward and taking her hand.

"It is good to see you my old friend, even in this Force-forsaken place. And who is with you?"

"Captain Worikil of the cruiser that was blown up, Master Thalin Te and his Padawan Teelin and a group of clones. Yourself?"

"Master Deena Vixx, Raxin Quille and Freda Habat, and nineteen younglings. We must get off this moon. We are being hunted."

Thalin nodded gravely.

"We know. We felt it also. And heard her voice."

Worikil stepped forward and shook hands with Depa.

"Her name is General Xalma. Aside form that, your guess is as good as mine." he said.

Depa frowned. The brief flare of light may have gone unnoticed, but she didn't bet on it.

"Come with me, and quickly." she said.

The two teams joined together, but then found the canyon blocked. It was a vaapad, the same beast as Depa's lightsaber form was named for.

"Master!" Greeta cried, as the spider thing charged, and with it all the other monsters in the area.

"Sod it all, lightsabers!" Deena yelled, her green blade blazing to life.

Depa lit her own saber, and felt Greeta beside her, her own blue blade singing.

"Master?" Greeta asked, readying her blade.

"Go low, I'll take high!"

The vaapad was their target, while the others dealt with the malraas that had appeared, and more dealt with hawk-bats, mynocks and cannoks.

The vaapad was massive, with twelve tentacles. It's two evil eyes glowered at them as the pair attacked. Greeta slid to the ground on her knees, swinging her blue blade as she did so, cutting the tips off several tentacles. Depa attacked from above and cut off several tentacles, and then stuck her blade into the creature's head.

Around them, as the vaapad gave a mournful roar, the other creatures were forced off, the injuries only being a slight graze on a couple of elbows.

Deena frowned.

"The enemy is bound to have seen that. Come, follow me!"

They dashed away from the site of the battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: **_**Malicious**_

**Status: Expectant**

"General, we have identified light on the moon." a droid said.

Xalma grinned as they replayed a small piece of footage. The lights were miniscule, and quick, but were there, if you knew where to look. On the darkness of the moon, all light stood out.

"Excellent. Prepare my shuttle."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Darkron canyon**

**Status: Exhausted**

"Master, we're too tired! We have to stop!" Growe, a Chiss male protested.

Raxin nodded at Deena, who relented.

"I know you're tired little ones, but we cant afford to delay." Freda said sadly.

Gravix frowned.

"What is it Gravix?" Thalin asked.

Teelin frowned too.

"They're coming Master."

"We cant go any further!" Growe protested.

"Tough. Move or die kid." a clone said.

"That's enough Captain Ordin." Worikil said, as he drew his blaster.

"Run! Freda, lead them on!" Raxin ordered as his saber erupted.

The Ithorian nodded, and used her green saber to lead the students on.

"Master Freda!" Freyl yelled.

Freda quickly reversed her grip and swung her blade through the neck of a malraas. There was then a great cry, and a massive pack of about one hundred malraas suddenly bounded down from crevices in the rocks, as did cannoks, hawk-bats, mynocks, and bomas. The beasts crashed to the canyon floor and started to head towards the long column of children.

"All clones to me! Kill these beasts!" Freda ordered.

"Padawans, follow her! Greeta, stay with Depa!" Raxin barked.

The other three Padawans went with Freda, who was leading the way. Her green blade was slicing through beat's hides as she ran along the canyon, taking out two bomas that lunged for Palloo. Her blade was a maelstrom of energy, lighting up the darkness, slicing her way through the dark creatures. The Padawans were also good, three blades of blue cutting away at the monsters that threatened their young brotherhood. The clones were using rapid fire to kill the creatures, as Freda led them away, monster body parts lying all along the floor.

Freda panted as she led her charges away. She wasn't built for this. She was too old for it now. Then there was a terrible roar, and she paled. The creature was a zakkeg. Another creature from Dxun, dumped her many years before, it was covered in spikes, and a ferocious hunter.

"Back! Sammy, Freyl, Allya, protect the younglings while I deal with this monster!"

The zakkeg charged at her, but the Ithorian was already on the move, leaping up into the air. She then plummeted down and dug her blade into the scales of the creature, which gave an enraged roar. One scale came off, and the beast gave a lurch, and Freda slammed into the canyon wall. She then sprang at the beast as it turned to her, slicing the jaw of the thing as it turned. It gave another roar, and Freda dropped to the ground and plunged her saber into it's stomach. Giving a cry, it tried to trample her, but she rolled out and lunged at the creature as it gave a roar. She stuck her blade into the back of the zakkeg's mouth and brought in a half circle. With that the thing thudded to the ground, defeated.

Freda gave an exhausted gasp as the younglings cheered her effort.

"Are you alright Master?" Freyl asked.

"You okay General?" Ordin asked.

"I'm fine." she said wearily

Another clone steadied her.

"There you go General. I'm Commander Rocket. You alright?"

Freda nodded.

"I'll be fine."

The danger over, and the droids far behind, Freda led the group slowly on through the darkness, preying they wouldn't be found. They came to the top of the canyon, and looked down the other side.

There was a wooden gate.

"A gate? I thought this place was uninhabited." Rocket said worriedly.

Freda frowned.

"It's meant to be. I have a bad feeling about this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Darkron canyon, 1 mile away**

**Status: Defending**

The droids had arrived in the canyon. Blasterfire was streaking at them, and the Jedi were on the defensive. Super battle droids, dwarf spider droids and destroyed droids were steadily progressing forward as the Jedi.

"Greeta, go high!" Depa yelled.

Greeta sprang into the air, her blue blade deflecting as she landed in the throng of milling droids. She stabbed a spider through the head, and then proceeded to wreck the droid ranks from within.

Depa meanwhile shot forward in a Force dash, cleaving through two SBDs in the process. She deflected shots back towards two destroyers and blasted them with a push.

Raxin then dove into the throng, his lightsaber hacking away at droids.

There was then a sinister whine as a flight of STAPs came bearing down on them. Deena gave a feral snarl and sprang upwards, slicing one platform in half, blasting one into the wall with a Force push, throwing her blue lightsaber to decapitate the pilot of another and finally plunging her saber into the balance gyro on the last. The platforms crashed, and she landed on the ground, halving a destroyer that picked the wrong moment to lower it's shields.

Gravix snarled as the droids regrouped and marched forward.

"Everyone behind me please." he said, putting away his green saber.

The others all sprang behind him, and he let loose a massive Force wave that dislodged several boulders and crushed some of the droids.

"Attack!" he said, taking out his saber again, and the Jedi leapt onwards, their blades cutting into their enemies.

"Teelin, to me!" Thalin yelled.

The team cut their way up the left flank, and sprang upwards to the top of a small outlook. Then, they saw a shuttle come and land above them.

"A _Sheathipede_ shuttle?" Teelin asked in shock.

Thalin narrowed his eyes.

"We're about to meet our enemy."

The shuttle disgorged four new droids. They were tall and skeletal, with glowing red eyes and long staffs.

"What are they?" Deena asked worriedly as her saber burst into life once again.

"They are my MagnaGuards Jedi. Like them? They are more the capable of taking you on. Kill them." a woman's voice ordered.

The four droids gave sinister laughs, and leapt down to the canyon floor.

"I have a very bad feeling about this." Worikil said worriedly.

The Jedi raised their lightsabers, but Depa was more interested in their new enemy.

She then came forward and allowed herself to be seen.

She was tall, almost taller than Master Ki Adi Mundi. Long, dexterous fingers were the colour of alabaster. Dark wicked yellow eyes shrouded red pupils. Her lips were black on top and red on bottom. At her supple waist was a lightsaber. She was dressed totally in black, with her clothes having a ragged look as though she had fought to be there. A cape streamed from her shoulders and fluttered in the wind. She had pure white teeth, two of which were fangs. Black lightning bolts were tattooed diagonally across her face.

"Greetings Jedi. I am General Xalma." she purred, and raised her hands.

Jagged bolts of Force Lightning suddenly burst forth, as her droid bodyguards sprang towards the Jedi.

Deena gave a shriek and raised her hand, conducting the attack towards her while the others dealt with the droids.

The MagnaGuards attacked, and the Jedi were suddenly on the defensive. Depa leapt at one of them, and aimed her blade right through the shaft of its weapon. She was very surprised when it didn't go straight through. The droid made an eerie sound like a laugh and attacked. Depa was suddenly forced back by the ferocity of the droids attack. The thing was masterful at combat, easily deflecting even her Vaapad attacks. The staff was made of phrik alloy and stopped her saber. She was up to skill alone. She leapt over the droid and came down behind it, only to be caught in the stomach by the end of its staff. As the wind was knocked out of her, the droid twirled its staff and came at her.

Greeta then appeared from nowhere, her lightsaber blocking the attack while her Master got her strength back. However Greeta was no match for the droid, and she was quickly forced backwards. That was when Depa re-entered the fight, her lightsaber arcing around to take off the droids head. The droid blocked her attack, but underestimated Greeta. Greeta's blade sliced the droid's head off and she cheered in victory.

Then the staff twirled around the body, and the Jedi were taken aback. The headless droid still fought them just as well as if it had a head. The two were off-footed, and couldn't recover in time to stop it. The staff hit Greeta on the shoulder and sent her spinning, allowing the droid to focus solely on Depa. Depa blasted it with a Force push, but the droid just went back two steps and came at her. Depa paled and raised her saber, but suddenly Greeta was there, her blade slicing the droid in half as it focused on her master.

"That's better." she said grumpily.

Raxin was on the defensive, both ends of his blue saber humming as he blocked the attacks of the sinister new droid. The droid span its staff, but Raxin was on the move, leaping over the droid and coming down behind it to run his blade through the centre of the droid. The droid gave a snarl, and jabbed his staff into Raxin, who leapt to a precipice and summoned his blade towards him. He then wrenched loose a rock and threw it at the droid.

The droid couldn't avoid it. It gave a sickening crunch as it was crushed.

Thalin span at the droid while Teelin dashed at its legs, taking them out from under the droid. The droid hissed as it toppled over, allowing Thalin to slice off an arm. The droid rolled as he did so, getting to its feet and crashing the staff into the Togruta. Thalin tumbled into the rocks, while Teelin was left alone. The Snivvian girl was quickly on the move, running along the edge of the canyon as the droid tracked her progress, firing lasers from its fingers. She outran them, then leapt at the droid, which was totally unprepared for the move. She crashed into it and gripped it in a Force grip, throwing it upwards. She then put it into the torrent of lightning passing between Deena and Xalma, and the droid gave several electronic shrieks. She then lost her concentration as the droid rushed at her, smoking and staggering. Then Thalin was there, his blade slicing the droid into quarters.

"Excellent my Padawan." he said breathlessly.

She smiled at the praise and they got ready to return to the fight. She ignored the fact that the droid had outsmarted her master so easily.

Gravix was a cyclone of energy as he battled his droid. The Anx Jedi as powerful, using the Force to augment his skills as the droid attempted to get past his defences. He was a master of Form V, and the droid was hard pressed to stop him as he unleashed his strength upon it. He leapt upwards and blasted the droid with a Force push, trapping the droid in a large hole. He then hurtled down at the droid, but the droid was better than that, raising its staff to block the attack. He hit Gravix with its arm, but the Anx was rolling as he did so, leaping to his feet at the end of it. He then lunged forward with his saber, stabbing the droid through the chest and jerking his blade upwards. The droid was defeated and toppled to the ground.

Deena was struggling. Xalma was very powerful. Her Force lighting was taking it out of Deena to deflect.

However, the others were bow free, and Depa joined in, adding her strength to Deena's. Xalma hissed and was blown back by her own attack.

"RUN!" Worikil yelled.

They ran, while Xalma cursed as she got to her feet.

"Fool Jedi." she snarled, and used the Force to wrench a man sized boulder and threw it at them.

Thalin sensed her intention and reversed it before she could react.

She saw it hurtling towards her.

"Shit." she said stoically, and was then knocked into the air and out of sight.

The Jedi slowed to a pace as they got away from Xalma.

"What were those things?" Worikil demanded.

"Nasty." Thalin said wearily.

"Come. We must find Freda." Deena said tiredly.

They found Freda a while later.

"You look terrible." she said as they arrived.

"They have nasty new droids…." Depa began, breaking off when she was the gates.

"Yes, noticed have you?" Freda asked lightly.

"Who do they belong to?" Teelin asked in a scared voice.

"Them perhaps?" Ordin asked, pointing.

They turned to observe a large group of blood red beings, armed to the teeth with spears and rocks and bows, glowering at them.

"We're in trouble" Tiki said in a small voice.

**Ha! Told you I'd finish this chapter tonight!**

**Who are these strange inhabitants? Is Xalma defeated? Is Teelin right to be worried? What will happen next?**

**All will be revealed soon!**

**Please read and review! **

**And check out my poll, if it went up...**

**Bye for now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Discalinmer: I do not own Star Wars**

5

**Location: Darkron Village**

**Status: Surrounded**

Depa frowned as the several large red beings hulked towards them.

"Master Billaba, are they Massassi?" Greeta asked in shock.

"I fear so young one. I don't see how though!"

The brutes rumbled something at them.

"We must communicate with them in the Force." Thalin said.

The brutes were massive, twice the size of any human. Fierce white teeth could be seen, they were covered in tattoos and jewellery. Massive spears were in their hands.

"How is this possible?" Deena muttered to Sammy.

"Maybe that explains the dark side on the moon. If a Sith Lord landed here, it would have corrupted the moon."

The brutes were gesturing at them all.

"I think they want to know what we're doing here." Gravix assumed, and proceeded to communicate in sign language.

One of the younglings, Tiki, the Whipid, took a step closer to the Massassi. There was suddenly a grunt, and the brute jumped back, and stabbed down. There was a gasp, and Tiki fell to the ground, blood pouring from his chest.

Lightsabers blazed to life and the Jedi were among the Massassi, cutting them to ribbons, while the clones opened fire. As the children wailed, Depa paled as she saw the entire village streaming out to meet them, spears in hand. Malraas that were on leads were also coming.

"We have a problem." she said worriedly as they surged closer.

The children all clustered behind the clones and the masters as they got ready to fight.

"Clones, fire!" Rocket barked, and laser fire dropped the Massassi to the ground.

The Jedi got ready to fight.

The Massassi had been brutal servants of the Sith thousands of years ago. How this group still existed was beyond them. However, they were still strong and brutal. But they were no match for modern weapons. Lightsabers sliced them to ribbons, and laser blasts dropped them like stones. Their pets were turned on each other by Gravix meddling with the Force, turning them on themselves and their masters.

"Master!" Sammy yelled.

Deena gasped. Hundreds of Massassi were coming down the canyon from where they had come.

"We cannot win this battle. Run!" Deena yelled.

The Jedi and the clones dashed through the village, arrows flying at them with sinister sounds. Bomas leapt out of nowhere, but were quickly ended by a blast from Worikil.

"Flee!" Depa yelled.

There were hundreds of Massassi running after them, incensed that so many of their peers had been slaughtered. Spears were thrown at them. Malraas, cannoks, bomas and nexus were released and they all began chasing the group.

"What do we do Master!? We cant defeat all these creatures!" Allya screamed.

Raxin snarled. They were outnumbered. And the children were getting very tired.

"Don't stop now!" Freda warned.

The next thing they knew they were under assault by blaster fire, and they were thrown onto the defensive, still running.

"Droids!" Oridin cried.

The battle droids rained fire down on them from above. They were trapped. Then Massassi descended on them, breaking the droids apart.

"We have some time! Run!" Thalin yelled.

The group ran down the craggy, dark canyon. And then they saw something that made their hearts stop.

"Dead end." Davik, the pilot clone moaned.

The medical droid bumped forward on its repulsors. It was a miracle that it had survived so far.

"Masters, I believe there is a small tunnel that we can escape through. We should all barely fit down it."

Deena looked at Depa, who nodded reluctantly.

"I'm apprehensive about going deeper into this world, especially with the Massassi so close. However we have no choice. Greeta, lead them on." she said, clapping her Padawans' shoulder.

Greeta slid into the hole, and the younglings started to follow her.

"Go. We'll be along shortly." Thalin promised Teelin.

The Snivvian girl nodded, and led the other Padawans in with the younglings.

"Await us at the bottom." Raxin said, as they turned to face the direction the Massassi would be coming in.

Half the clones went with the children, but Worikil, Rocket, Oridin, Davik and two normal clones took up positions with the Jedi.

"Master Gravix? What is going on?" Worikil asked weakly.

Gravix sighed.

"We are on a moon of the dark side. And I think we now know why. Due to the fact that they are obviously Massassi, a Sith Lord of old must have arrived here and stayed. Thus the dark side immersion of the planet. As such, there are probably other Sith relics here. The thousands of monsters that the Republic has dumped here over the years have all become perverted by the dark side, and so have the Massassi. And to top it all of, we have a Nightsister, who commands a droid army, chasing after us."

Rocket turned to them

"What you're trying to say is, we're screwed?"

"Basically yes."

Depa narrowed her eyes as the Massassi bounded into view.

"May the Force be with us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Darkron, shuttle landing**

**Status: Wrecked**

A passing battle droid pulled her to her feet.

"Are you alright Leader?" it asked.

Xalma hissed as she got to her feet.

"Yes, I'm fine. The Jedi will pay for this. Where is the Advance Guard?"

"Wiped out my lady. The natives got them."

"Natives?" she asked in surprise.

"Natives. They're pursuing the Jedi now."

Xalma smiled evilly.

"Summon down a landing craft. We're going after the Jedi. And get Slinker and Stinker to join me." she ordered.

"As you wish."

Xalma smiled. Soon the Jedi would be hers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Darkron canyon**

**Status: Standoff**

Body parts were now making a wall so high the natives were struggling to get over it.

"Master Depa! We cant keep this up much longer!" Raxin yelled.

Depa nodded, blasting several warriors away with a Force shove.

"Rocket, get your men down the tunnel!"

"Yes General!"

The clones fell back, firing their weapons, and were reluctantly followed by Worikil.

"Tell Greeta to get the younglings moving. We will be down shortly." Depa said, hacking two more warriors apart.

Raxin's two blades were causing most of the damage. He watched the others escape into the tunnel as he sliced apart six warriors.

"How many lived in that village!?" he demanded, cutting three more down.

"It doesn't matter. We cant win." Deena retorted.

Gravix frowned more deeply than he already was.

"I can feel her coming. Xalma. We must go. Now."

"Freda, Deena, go with Thalin down the tunnel! Gravix, Raxin and I will hold them off!" Depa yelled as more Massassi appeared and let loose with arrows.

The three Jedi reluctantly fell back, and slipped into the tunnel and out of sight.

"Well Depa? What now my friend!?" Gravix shouted as he used the Force to knock away several arrows.

Depa frowned.

"We attack."

She sprang headlong into the throng of red natives, her blade hacking away, body parts flying off everywhere, as the Massassi screamed in pain around her. It was difficult to master oneself here. Vaapad fed on the inner darkness. On a world such as this, it was much more potent.

She was suddenly aware of two blue blades cutting away at the Massassi sneaking up on her from the sides. Raxin was a whirlwind, his two blue blades slicing Massassi apart, warriors, pets and priests alike.

"Raxin! Fall back!" she ordered.

"Depa…!"

"No! Go!" she hollered.

Raxin threw his lightsaber at the next horde, cart wheeled backwards, caught his blade and vanished.

"Now what Depa?" Gravix bellowed.

"The rocks! We escape in a landslide! And it'll cut off any pursuit!"

"Ingenious! Let us retreat ever so slowly."

Gravix was also cutting Massassi apart, his blade causing nearly as much as Raxin's had been. He blasted several away with a Force push as Depa Force jumped back to the entrance to the tunnel.

"Together my friend! As one!"

They released a massive Force push, toppling the red skinned assailants.

"The rocks!" Gravix yelled.

The two wrenched the rock face apart with the Force, sending a cascade of rubble down on the Massassi. The creatures made urgent gestures and started to run, panicking as they did so.

"Come!" Gravix shouted, and the two slipped into the crack as the exit closed behind them.

They plummeted down in the dark, and hit the ground with a thud.

"Depa!" a voice cried.

Up ahead, Depa could barely discern several small lights.

"Deena! We're alright!" she shouted back, and the two walked towards their companions.

Depa approached the moping group. They had lost two of the younglings already on this hellish moon.

The Masters gathered together aside from the younglings.

"What's our next move?" Thalin asked anxiously.

Depa sighed, rubbing her bloodshot eyes.

"We cant keep on running. The younglings aren't cut out for it." Deena said worriedly.

"We have little choice Deena. We may have outwitted the Massassi, but I doubt that will hold Xalma for long. We need to keep moving." Depa said.

"What about one of the outposts? They may still have inhabitants." Raxin said.

"Perhaps. Doubtful. But on the plus side, we could maybe rest in one for a while." Gravix conceded.

"So, we head to one of the outposts?" Deena asked.

"We have little choice." Depa said, and they went back to the clones and younglings.

The group was subdued. They had lost two members since arriving here. And Depa felt more losses were to come.

"Come little ones. We must away." Freda said sadly.

"They killed Tiki. He hadn't done anything." Zerup, a small Nagai boy moaned.

Deena patted the boy's head.

"I know young one. And I'm sorry. However, we cannot stay here. We must leave."

"And what about Tiki? Will he go to the force?" Zerup asked.

Raxin patted the boys shoulder.

"Yes."

Raxin, Deena and the others went ahead, and the group started moving through the massive dark tunnel.

"It's so unfair." Zerup whined.

Freda looked compassionately at him.

"I'm sorry you've been caught up in this little one. Calm yourself though. As soon as we figure out where we are going, we go."

Zerup turned to look at her, and then she was soaked in blood.

"NO!" Freda howled in sorrow.

A massive chunk had been bitten out of the boy, and his limp body crashed to the floor. Behind him was a large, spiked Hssiss dragon.

"Fire!" Rocket ordered, as the Masters lit their lightsabers and the younglings howled.

The dragon curled up to protect itself from the shots, and Freda then lit her saber.

"Go between the scales!" she yelled.

Her green blade then pierced the creature's neck. Freda then staggered away from the beast.

"I was right beside him. It was right there, and I never felt it. I never felt it." she wept.

Deena patted her friend on her shoulder.

"None of us did Freda. It's a dark side dragon. We were never going to sense it." she said in a choked voice.

Freda gave a loud wail, and the children joined in.

"Three younglings! Why are we on this rock!?" Raxin demanded tearfully.

Depa stifled her own tears, and the clones banded together in their shock. Worikil patted her shoulder.

"I've scanned the air. There is a large draft coming from somewhere, close by. If we hurry, we can get there soon." he said consolingly.

Greeta looked at her master in desperation.

"Master, will we escape this moon alive?" she asked.

Depa looked deep into her Padawan's eyes. The same question was on her mind.

"Yes Greeta." she said falsely.

In reality, she felt they would all die on this moon.

The children all looked to her to lead. As did the other Masters.

"Let's go." she said sadly.

"But Zerup…"Palloo moaned.

"Must be left. I'm sorry." Depa said quietly.

They then lit up the tunnel, and set off, leaving the dead behind them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Darkron cave-in**

**Status: Annoyed**

"Clever trick Billaba. You will not elude me for long." Xalma promised.

The droids were hacking away at the rocks, ignoring the crushed Massassi beneath them. Slinker approached.

"Dooku wants you." he whispered, and she turned to a holo display.

"General Xalma. How goes the fight against Master Billaba?" he asked.

Xalma smiled.

"She has eluded thus far. However, three Jedi kids are dead."

Dooku nodded approvingly.

"Excellent."

"There is more. This moon, while infested with monsters, also has something we did not expect. There are Massassi on this moon." she reported.

Dooku raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

She used the Force to wrench one from under the rubble. Dooku scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"Most interesting. Most interesting indeed."

"We only happened on a small village. I suspect there are more around." she said.

Dooku nodded.

"Find them if you can my dear. This is most interesting. And also…"

She turned the comm off as the droid had just burst through.

"After them." she ordered evilly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Dooku's Estate, Serenno**

**Status: Irritated**

"Here we go again." he sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Darkron Tunnel**

**Status: Under attack**

"How many of these beasts are there?" Oridin asked as he blasted another kinrath.

After the death of the Hssiss, the monsters had swarmed. They were now under attack on all sides, all the while running through the tunnel. Lightsabers cut apart several mynocks that dipped at the from above, while the younglings sued their Force powers to keep the creature's away.

"Commander! How close are we to the exit?" Depa yelled as she sliced apart a cannok, still running through the dark tunnel.

"According to the scanner not far Master Jedi! Not far!"

They sliced their way through, all getting bitten and clawed as they made their way through the throng of monsters.

Then, they saw a recess.

"There! I see it!" Bashin, a young Nosaurian girl yelled.

The group rushed towards the exit, malraas, cannoks, mynocks, kinrath, spiders, lizards, snakes and all other sorts of animals rushing after them.

"Gravix! Force blow!" Thalin yelled.

The two Jedi knocked the beasts hurtling away, and the team rushed outside. It was still dark. And then they saw the situation they were in. The nightmare moon had thrown something else at them.

A precipice, with no way to escape it.

**They've escaped the monsters, and Xalma, but what now?**

**We've now lost three younglings from our company. And the secret of the moon will be expalined eventually!**

**Next chapter, we see what heppnes to our team and if they escape the cliff. More nightmare creatures are to come.**

**And Xalma will soon follow...**

**Until next time, please read, review and vote in the poll!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (or I'd reduce the price for the omnibus issues)**

6

**Location: A precipice, Darkron**

**Status: Cornered**

Depa cursed loudly, and turned, seeing no alternative. She raised her saber to see dozens more Massassi appear, smirking, behind their pets.

"Depa?" Deena asked.

"I fear we have no choice." she said worriedly.

"We cant jump! We'll be killed!" Teelin protested.

"Little one, we either jump and skewer ourselves on razor sharp rocks, or we stay here and get ripped to shreds by murderous barbarians and their pet monsters." Freda said quietly.

The younglings all hid behind the older Jedi and the clones. The Massassi were advancing towards them.

"Take a deep breath. And keep a force shield around us." Freda said.

"Freda?" Deena asked.

She nodded to Oridin, who threw a grenade. The bomb exploded, crushing many beats with rock. As the Massassi screamed, Freda dug her saber into the rock, and the part they were standing on plummeted.

It slid down the mountain like a rubber ring, with the younglings screaming in pain.

"General, we're losing the droid!"

The droid toppled off and bounced down the mountain side, crushing itself.

"Blast." Depa said.

"At least the food's still safe!" Worikil cried as they shot down the mountain, the Master's Force shield keeping everyone safe.

"Freda." Thalin said in quiet voice.

Freda looked around to see the part of the mountain they were on ended with a slope.

"Oh excrement." she swore.

The disk of rock shot off the slope and slammed down to the next mountain, before shooting off that also, and coming to a stop miles from the Massassi.

Everyone staggered off the rock.

"A pity about the droid." Davik commented, as he rounded up the children.

Freda was slumped against a rock in exhaustion. Depa shot her a concerned look, before a cry from Allya prevented her going further.

"Look! Trees!" she shouted.

Depa nodded, and they led the terrified and horrified younglings to the tree cover.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Tunnel, Darkron**

**Status: In pursuit**

The droids finished excavating the entrance, and Xalma led Slinker and Stinker, her two slaves, down into the tunnel through which Depa had led the younglings.

"Look mistress." Stinker croaked, pointing.

Up ahead, the Massassi were grunting and heaving, trying to move a cave in.

"Watch." she snarled.

The Massassi turned, grabbing their spears as she approached. She grinned, and killed them all with a concentrated burst of Force lightning.

She came to the cave in, and frowned.

"Blast." she cursed.

She Force pushed the rubble out of the way, and looked out over the cliff face.

"You have eluded me for a bit Jedi. But not for long." she promised.

She turned.

"Prepare my shuttle. We're going to find them." she snarled and swept past her two slaves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Oasis, Darkron**

**Status: Exhausted**

The Jedi team had been allowed a brief respite. They had taken shelter in a small oasis, with a large lake covered in small swamp islands, and surrounded by blackened, twisted and gnarled trees. Having lost three younglings, those remaining were all terrified, and wanted nothing more than to go home. Deena and Raxin were doing their best to keep them all calm, and prevent Xalma from sensing their despair. Freda, who was exhausted, was leaning against a tree.

"Master? Are you alright?" Freyl asked.

Freda opened a bleary eye.

"I'm just not as young as I used to be. I'm too old for this milarky." she said resentfully.

"You'll be fine master." Orow, the Abyssin boy said.

She patted him and her Padawan's hands.

"I will."

Depa frowned as she looked around. There were too ways out of this area. They were in a small oasis, with a large lake and a lot of trees. Going through the trees wasn't high on her list of priorities, as they'd met quite enough nasty creatures without the benefit of trees to hide in. The only other way was to cross a small series of swampish islands, across the lake, to get to a small path which they could see.

"Master?" Greeta asked, sitting down beside her.

Depa patted her student's shoulder as she sat.

"You're doing well Greeta. You're holding up far better than the little ones. And better than a couple of us." she said, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Thank you master. What's our next move?" she asked.

Depa sighed.

"We need to rest. If we don't, the young ones will just fall one by one. We'll get lax or sloppy, and this will be pointless. After we are rested, we leave. We continue to try to find the scientist's outpost. If we can get there, we may be able to try to get word to our side for rescue."

Greeta nodded, as Worikil joined them.

"What worries me is the fact that we haven't found any of the other survivors yet." he said gravely.

Depa frowned.

"I fear we wont. They've been on this infernal Force forsaken moon for a day. Monsters pursuing them, along with Xalma's forces. If we haven't found them already, we probably aren't going to." she said regretfully.

"Cant you feel for them with the Force?" he asked.

Greeta shook her head.

"Not without risking Xalma finding us."

Worikil was silent for a bit.

"Are you strong enough to defeat her?" he asked, his confidence wavering.

Depa looked at him, and said frankly "Perhaps."

She looked up to see Uruola, a Quermian girl, pick up a rock and throw it at the water. Greeta screeched and snatched the stone with the Force, while Depa prevented her form throwing another.

"No! Don't disturb the water. We've seen what foul things exist on land on this moon. I dread to think what lives beneath the water." she said warningly.

Uruola nodded meekly.

"Sorry master." she said.

Freda then appeared.

"Sorry Depa, I dozed off." she said.

Depa narrowed her eyes.

"Freda, you look terrible. Get some sleep."

"But…"

"Now." Depa said firmly.

She turned to the others.

"I want a Jedi on guard at all times. The rest of you, get some sleep." she said.

Teelin smiled at Worikil.

"We'll stand guard. Get some rest."

Depa nodded grimly, and curled up against a tree.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Separatist Shuttle**

**Status: Searching**

The shuttle was high over Darkron, so Xalma could sense the Jedi.

"Can you feel them yet mistress?" a droid asked.

"Not yet. But I will." she vowed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Oasis, Darkron**

**Status: Quiet**

Teelin gratefully drank the water Worikil offered her. Their supplies had survived thus far, and the repulsor lifters had miraculously avoided damage or abandonment. They would most likely be killed by a monster, barbarous natives or droids before they died of hunger of dehydration.

"It's very unsettling to see Jedi scared." Worikil commented.

"How so?" Teelin asked.

"Throughout the galaxy, you Jed are viewed as heroes, pursuers of justice, beings of light. Seeing you here, scared out of your wits, is very disturbing."

Teelin smiled sadly.

"Jedi are not immune to fear. We are not infallible."

"What is it about this moon that scares you all so much?" he asked curiously.

Teelin sighed.

"This moon is steeped in the dark side. It's been a dumping ground for monsters for years. However, the moon's dark side power has perverted them, making them even more dangerous. They have become twisted and altered forms of life, with the dark side making them stronger and more dangerous. And now we have discovered the fact that it is a Sith moon, settled by one of the ancient Dark Lords. Thus, the darkness here is even stronger than it should be. And the fact that the Massassi are here doesn't help much. They are devolved barbarians, but are very powerful in great numbers. And to top it all of, we have a Nightsister of Dathomir chasing after us."

"A Nightsister?"

"A Force witch. They hate the Jedi, and this one seems particularly powerful. Darkron will only enhance her strength."

Worikil frowned, then sharply turned his head.

"It's only the wind." Teelin counselled.

"Your masters seem exhausted." he said.

Teelin frowned.

"Master Depa has to lead the mission, and she is worrying about it, as she is responsible for everyone's safety. Master Deena is worrying about all the younglings and everyone else. And also about her own powers. She shouldn't have had to struggle to hold off that witch. Raxin is our defender, and is working with the clones. Master Gravix is getting on in years, but his Force powers and healing abilities make him invaluable. But using them constantly is tiring him out. Master Thalin in my own master, and he needs to keep an eye on me and help the others. And Master Freda just isn't as young as she used to be."

Worikil pondered this.

"Does the dark side here affect you?" he asked in interest.

She was spared the necessity of answering as Orow screamed. A large tentacle had grabbed him round the ankle.

"Help!" he yelled.

The Jedi and clones were up in seconds, with Teelin springing at the Dianoga as it reared out of the water. She got there a second too late, as Orow was devoured in the creature's mouth.

"No!" Teelin screamed.

She then leapt onto the beasts head and plunged her saber through it's brain, knocking the creature to the ground.

"I never felt it!" she yelled in despair.

"It wasn't your fault little one." Thalin counselled.

Depa looked around grimly.

"We move now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Separatist Shuttle**

**Status: On patrol**

Xalma grinned as she felt the wave of despair from the Padawan.

"General, we have identified light!" a droid called.

"Move in." she ordered, grinning in triumph.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Oasis, Darkron**

**Status: Leaving**

"Depa, look!" Gravix cried.

Xalma's shuttle was coming.

"We cant go into the forest then!" Rocket said grimly.

Depa closed her eyes in defeat. They had no choice.

"Across the marshes!"

The younglings were all forced onto their feet, and Depa led the way into the marshes.

"Quickly now! Do not disturb the water! We don't want to deal with any other creatures!" Depa ordered.

The Jedi team ran into the lake, jumping to the first marsh island. Xalma's shuttle then opened fire, laser blasts crashing against the water.

"Oh no." Deena whispered in terror.

"Raxin! Stop that shuttle!" Freda barked in desperation as she helped Swanya, a Rodian girl over.

The three clones were running to catch up, but were falling behind.

"Davik!" Sammy cried.

An Opee Sea Killer then shot out its tongue as it broke the surface, and Davik was gone.

"Stick together!" Greeta called.

Another dianoga then reared from below and struck at Yannu, a Devaronian boy. Greeta cut off it's tentacle, then dashed up it's next one, flipping to its head. She then stuck her blade through the creature's eye into its brain and it splashed back into the water.

Raxin deflected two more shots back into the shuttles direction, then leapt, trusting the Force. He swung his blade as he travelled past the ship, and the balance gyro was slashed in two. The ship shuddered, then came to a skidding stop on the ground, ripping up trees as it happened. He flipped back to the marshes, were all the water beasts imaginable were swarming.

"A colo claw fish!" Teelin cried as the gigantic beast tried to rip Depa and Gravix to shreds.

"Fire!" Ordin barked.

Laser fire erupted, but not just from the clones. Xalma and her droids had arrived.

"Jedi! There is no escape!" she yelled across the lake.

Depa looked around in panic. The creatures were swarming, and they weren't even halfway yet.

"Forget the droids and monsters! Just run!" she screeched.

Depa then darted across the marsh islands, hardly touching one for a second before moving on. She eventually reached the other side, and motioned for the others to follow.

Deena came first, her blade protecting three of the children as another Opee reared out of the water. She threw her saber and its tongue came flying off, and she used the Force to throw it at a colo that was trying to get Raxin, who had landed and was brining more children. She reached the other side in one piece, catching her saber as she arrived.

Raxin and Gravix made it over without incident, along with several more younglings. However, Xalma was about to enter the battle.

"Thalin! Get out of there!" Depa called.

The clones were pouring fire into the monsters and approaching droids. Thalin then emitted a loud screech with the Force, and the monsters reeled off.

"Go!" he ordered.

The remaining clones made it over, only losing one to a Dianoga as they went. All the younglings were now also safe.

"Begin sending people down the slope!" Deena said to Raxin.

Raxin nodded, and led them on. Thalin and Teelin followed Freda and Worikil across, their blades hacking away at the massive sea creatures, which were swarming once again.

"Master!" Teelin cried in terror as a colo began to close its jaws around her.

Thalin somersaulted backwards and sliced the top part of the creatures jaw, and it gave a moan as it's prey escaped.

Xalma, on the other side, snarled. They were going to escape. Then, she felt the presence below. Reaching out with the Force, she had it.

Depa patted Thalin's shoulder as he arrived.

"Good work. Now come, before Xalma figures out a way to stop us."

"Too late." Freda gasped.

A Sando Aqua monster reared up from the water, sending the other beasts away in fright. The beast darted down at the Jedi group.

"Workil, move!" Deena snapped, blasting him down the slope.

"Master Deena!" The slope comes to a cliff!" Raxin yelled up.

"Busy!" Deena screamed, as the beast shot down.

Depa sliced off several fingers as it tried to clamp Teelin and Thalin with it's jaws. Deena and Freda sprang to it's head and dug their sabers in, then shot off, ripping it's skin apart. Gravix took advantage of its pain and impaled the creature through the jaw. It gave a moan, and roared. Depa sprung, summoning Greeta's blade as she did so. She launched herself straight into its mouth and twirled the sabers, slicing out a cylinder of flesh and brain from the creature. She shot out the top of it's head, and it fell back into the water.

"NO!" Xalma cursed.

"Move!" Depa screamed.

"Depa, we shouldn't…" Deena began, but it was too late.

The water made the slope slimy, and they all fell and crashed into the others at the bottom, throwing them off the cliff. They then fell for hours.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Oasis, Darkron**

**Status: Undone**

"My lady, they fell off the cliff. It's thousands of metres to the bottom. They msut be dead." Stinker snarled.

Xalma adamantly shook her head.

"No. They're alive. Get a scan of that area, and find all possible ways out of it. When they leave, I want them dead." she snarled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Location: Deep underground, Darkron**

**Status: Dazed**

Depa shook her head as she came to. Miraculously, they had survived.

"Is everyone alright?" she demanded, getting to her feet.

"I'm still here." Greeta said, wincing in pain.

Depa looked around. It was pitch black.

"Oh we're far enough down. Sod it." she cursed, and lit her saber.

The others were all scattered around her.

"Anyone dead?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"All of the clones, except Rocket and Ordin." Worikil answered sadly.

"Where are we?" Raxin asked, rubbing his back.

"Thousands of miles beneath the surface. It's a miracle we survived." Depa said.

"I managed to create a bubble, but it wasn't large enough I'm afraid." Gravix said mournfully.

"It looks like we're in an entrance hall of some sort." Freyl commented.

Freda shook her head as she raised her own saber.

"It's not an entrance hall. It's a massacre site." she said in a sick voice.

She raised her blade to reveal the floor of the room. It was covered in bodies.

**Another narrow escape!**

**Next chapter, more is revealed about Darkron itself, which poor souls were massacred and how close Xalma is getting to the Jedi. Time is running out on that moon, and we dont have many people left.**

**I will hopefully update soon, and I may join the next two chapters together into one.**

**Sorry this isnt that good!**

**Until next time, please read and review and vote in the poll please! (And if anyone can tell me what the Anakin and Ahsoka story currently in second place was meant to be, I'd appreciate it:P)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

7

**Location: Deep underground, Darkron**

**Status: Scared**

Depa looked around. All of the dead bodies were clones.

"What happened here?" Raxin asked her in concern.

Depa peered around, looking at the wounds.

"Stab wounds and severe blunt trauma. If I was a betting person I'd say the natives got them." Thalin said, looking at one body.

Freda, who was looking older than ever, sighed.

"We can do nothing for them. Come, we must find a way out of these caverns, preferably before the natives or that Force witch find us." She said, and led them on, her lightsaber acting as a light.

Greeta held Depa's arm.

"Master, one of them were killed from the same fall we were. Meaning..."

"That they got down here another way?" Teelin asked hopefully.

Greeta shook her head.

"No. Meaning that natives must live down here too." She said worriedly.

Depa frowned.

"If that is so, they'll know these tunnels a lot better than we could ever hope to. Come. And stay close my Padawan." She said, bringing up the rear of the depleted group of younglings.

Deena came back to talk to them. She took looked exhausted, and Depa could feel how much the emotional strain had affected her over the last few days.

"You look terrible Deena." She said worriedly.

"Thank you for saying so Depa. I feel mildly terrible. This is it now, this is our group. I'm beginning to fear we shall never get off this moon." She said in a low voice.

Depa checked no one was watching, and nodded gravely.

"It is beginning to look that way isn't it? But we cannot give up hope. If we can escape these caverns and find the old outpost, we may be able to get word to the Council and get off of this planet."

Deena nodded, though Depa could tell she didn't believe what her friend was saying.

"And I'm worried about Freda. She's not as young as she used to be. Running away from Xalma has taken it out of her, and worrying about the younglings is stressing her out." She said, her brow furrowed.

Gravix then fell back slightly, picking up Marshin, a Nautolan boy who'd fallen over. He sent the lad on and joined them.

"What I wish to know is how the Massassi came to be here. An interesting puzzle." He said, keeping a hand on the shoulder of Cluu, an Aleena boy who was trying to go down a different tunnel.

Depa nodded.

"And it would help explain the sheer power of dark side malevolence on this foul moon. The monsters and it's position don't help, but if a Sith Lord moved here millennia ago, it would explain why the entire damn place is rotten to the core." Deena reasoned.

"Exactly. Oh, why couldn't we have gotten a proper cruiser? Then we could have gone home a separate way and never been stranded here." Depa complained bitterly.

Gravix patted her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're here. If not, we'd have been dead meat." He reasoned.

Depa smiled at him, and bumped into Swanya, a Rodian girl.

"By the Force..." Depa said in awe.

They had entered a massive cavern, reaching up as high as a Coruscant apartment block. The cavern was round, with a small door at the far side. Stalagmites hung from the ceiling, which had been chiselled so that walkways led down them, allowing access to the doors and the rooms on them. Up the side of the cavern were many tiers, each filled with hundreds of doors, leading to the living quarters, work places and temples of the native Massassi.

"As stars live and die." Worikil said, looking about in awe also.

"Is this a city?" Wallan, a Gran boy asked eagerly.

"It appears to be young one, yes." Raxin said, alert for any danger.

"It must be night." Sammy reasoned.

"How can you tell? The entire place is pitch black." Allya said irritably.

He pointed upwards, to a large square of rock covered in wooden slats.

"I expect they open during the day." He said.

Depa and Greeta looked around nervously.

"There's lots of different openings, but I think all of them are buildings. I think the only other door out of the city thoroughfare is that one over there." Greeta said, pointing.

Depa nodded at her Padawan's assessment.

"It'll be incredibly risky crossing over the entire city General." Rocket counselled.

"I agree Commander. However, I don't think we have any choice." Deena said.

She looked at the other Jedi, who nodded.

"Over we go. If not, we'll never get off this Force forsaken moon." Raxin said, detaching his saber form his belt.

"Come, and don't make a sound." Freda said, ushering her charges forwards.

Thalin closed his eyes and pointed across the room to a small hole set into the side of the cavern.

"I feel a great Dark presence coming from in there." He said, his eyes crinkling with worry.

"So we'll go the other way?" Freyl asked hopefully.

One look at the older Jedi told him it wasn't to be.

"Typical." He grunted in exasperation.

"Are you sure now is the time for sight seeing?" Worikil asked.

"As good a time as any. We shant be long. Now, let us proceed quickly and quietly." Freda said, and the Jedi team crept across the massive cavern.

None of them noticed the sentries standing guard above the door, who were watching them intently.

They kept their step quick and light as they traversed the massive cavern.

"You reckon this is their capital?" Teelin asked her master in a whisper.

"It's a possibility. Look at the rooms. The sheer size indicates that this city is meant to hold a great many people with as little effort as possible. I expect the quarters aren't comfortable, but functional." Thalin said.

"But what's this massive empty space for?" Teelin asked curiously.

Gravix stroked his beard.

"Remember your history lessons Padawan. The Massassi worship the Sith. They probably all stand in this massive empty area and pray." He reasoned.

Freda was breathing heavily as they reached the place they were looking for.

"Master Freda?" Krass, a boy Bothan asked.

"I'm alright. Getting old. When you're sitting on your bum so long for each day, you tend to forget what serious exercise is." She said, and guided him indoors.

It was, as expected by Depa, a temple. Along the walls in the surprisingly long room were massive statues of a Sith/human hybrid like that known of the ancient Sith Lords. At the far end of the temple was the statue of a massive Sith Lord, his hand raised imperiously over the floor, like where his subjects would be.

"So, this is the cause for the dark side on the moon?" Ordin asked curiously.

"Yes and no. It certainly exacerbates the problem but I fear this moon was dark even before the Sith got here." Thalin said as they all explored.

"I'm confused. Look at this date. It places the science outpost here just after the Deadlock War ended. I thought it was later than that." Freyl said, showing Depa a written journal.

"Correct. There was a science outpost here following the Deadlock War, and there was then an outpost created following the Ruusan Reformations. Master Freda has trained you well." Depa said, and took the journal, flipping to the last entry.

"What does it say Depa?" Raxin asked as most of the older Jedi gathered around to hear, along with the clones and Worikil.

"_We have awoken something in the dark. We knew there were monsters here, but this creature is no monster. It is far worse than that. This thing is beyond all explanations. We should not have come to this moon. We have disturbed an ancient demon. We cannot get out. The savages destroyed the ship and killed the crew, murdering them brutally. I fear we shall never leave this moon. Some malevolent presence sets it's will against us, and our communications do not seem to have made it out. We are all in great danger._

_I can hear the savages crying in the wind. They are searching for us. I do not fear them. It is the demon monster that we disturbed I fear. I can hear it. It is approaching, carrying with it the screams of over a thousand tortured souls, so clear that I can here._

_We will not get out, and will not leave this planet. Some of the younger ones have hung themselves from the rafters. They have accepted their fate. Others, including the droids, have went out into the endless night, and we heard screams signifying their end as the predators got them. There are only a few left, a few who have decided to fight, for what good it will do us. I hear the screams approaching. The beast is outside, and I hear the panicked cries of the natives. They fear this beast, and seem to worship it. _

_I leave this record for any of those unlucky enough to read it. If you do, I urge you: get off Darkron while you can. Flee this moon. Nothing of interest lives here. Only death. The beast has broken the door, and it's roaring outside the door to this hall. I hope this will survive what will happen to me. There is no escape from Darkron, only death. We cannot get out._

_The beast is here. It has come._"

Silence met this grim anecdote.

"Am I the only one who is totally freaked out?" Teelin asked, frightened, and Ordin put an arm around the Snivvian.

"They must have kept it as a trophy." Thalin suggested, looking at the statue with interest.

"A thousand tortured souls?" Worikil asked.

Depa pursed her lips and looked at Freda and Deena, who also looked frightened.

"I take it you're thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked, and they nodded in grim horror.

"I have a name." Thalin said, and they went over, to where he was peering at a slab of stone at the statue's feet.

"The realm of Tritos Nal is this temple for. When the great leave began, a rock in space hit he was. Landed here his magnificence was, and remained for his time the lord managed. The bearer was wrecked and homes created, and a kingdom rose. Gathered did his subjects at the Great Sleep of his time. With finding his pets we were given. Called was them by a great evil claimed he. Failed have us. Gather does you every annum to mourn the Great beginning's Sleep. Wake down he shall one time." Thalin translated roughly, his ancient Sith rusty from when he had studied it as a Padawan.

"Meaning?" Rocket asked irritably.

"The Sith Lord who came here is called Tritos Nal. When they left Sith space during the Great Hyperspace War, his ship collided with debris and crashed here. When he did land, his monsters escaped, responding to some Force call. The Massassi built an empire over the moon, who failed to find the monsters. When he died, they gathered every year to mourn his passing." Thalin said.

Depa narrowed her eyes. That anecdote meant that something other than the Sith had been off with the moon before they arrived. There was something else on this moon that had turned the beasts feral and sent them into the dominant creatures of the place.

"Could it be...?" Deena asked.

Freda shook her head.

"No, that came with him. Something else lived here. And something that can break the programming of a Sith warped animal is very dangerous indeed." She said.

"Or still does." Raxin said as Thalin leaned against the statue to pull himself up.

"MASTER!" Teelin cried and shoved him out of the way as a massive finger clattered to the floor, ringing the place with sound.

The dust settled and the Jedi looked about, terrified that the noise had alerted the Massassi.

"Ah." Gravix said, looking nervously about as all the younglings clustered together.

"Let's go." Depa said, pocketing the journal for future ruse, to see if they could unravel more about what had caused the Sith's pets to betray him.

"Master, look!" Greeta exclaimed, pointing.

Depa turned to see a shimmering pyramid on the floor, having fallen off the hand with the finger.

"It's a Sith holocron." Raxin said, looking at it in disgust.

Sammy reached out to pick it up.

"Sammy! I'll take that." Depa said, taking the evil thing in a Force grip and sliding it to another pocket.

"Now, let us leave." Freda said, and they ran for the door.

Only to be met by two Massassi. Freda's blade sliced them in two, and they dropped with a scream.

"Dammit!" Allya cursed, as all the Jedi lit their sabers and the clones readied their blasters.

There was then a clamouring from above them, and all around the cavern, the Massassi were streaming out of their homes, armed with spears and gesturing angrily.

"Great. They wanted to kill us before, and now you've broke their temple! Now they're really pissed!" Gravix grumbled.

The red brutes then started leaping down at them, some of them killing themselves as they dropped down from the highest tiers of the city.

"If they're that eager to get to us, we should leave!" Worikil urged.

"Agreed. To the exit!" Freda said, and they surged forward.

The Jedi team rushed from the temple entrance, the Massassi swarming out of their homes and crawling up through cracks in the floor. The Jedi team rushed across the massive expanse of the city, the Massassi dogging their escape, surrounding them as they went forward.

"Ther'es no escape!" Worikil said, readying his blaster as they ran.

"Stay close to us." Thalin ordered.

There was a cry as a Massassi arrow took Cluu in the throat, dropping him like a stone. Deena hissed and swung her blade, taking the heads off of several Massassi. However, the small Rodian girl, Swanya had also lagged behind, and before Deena could free her the Massassi stabbed her with a spear.

The party came to a halt, their lightsabers the only source of light in the immense cavern, but that dim light showed the massive ocean of red skinned Massassi.

"I dont like this!" Uruola, a Quermian girl cried.

"We're not too happy about it ourselves." Raxin muttered as the Massassi started to press inwards, their spears raised.

"Can we fight our way out?" Greeta asked worriedly.

"Doubtful. If we did, we'd lose most of the younglings, and more." Depa said, forming a ring around the younglings with the elder Jedi and the clones.

The Massassi pressed inwards, and Raxin and Thalin both made battle cries at them, making them retreat slightly. Gravix then issued a soul piercing scream, using the Force to amplify it. They went further back, but when they saw nothing else would harm them, they surged forwards. Depa looked at the others in fear, when a massive roar came from above them.

The Massassi went from being warlike and threatening in one second, to panicky and scared the next. They all started chattering in their guttural language, and all ran back for their homes, sealing their doors.

Worikil leaned to Freda.

"What sort of creature is enough to scare off a tribe of blood thirty Sith natives?" he asked fearfully.

Freda closed her eyes and stretched out with her hearing, as did the others. They heard screams echoing across the surface of the planet as the massive beast came towards them.

Freda closed her eyes in saddened despair.

"A leviathan of Corbos. A creature of the ancient Sith. We are all outmatched. RUN!" she ordered and they dashed across the last of the gargantuan cavern.

They left the cavern city, and rushed down a narrow rocky corridor. A mammoth thud emerged from behind them, and they all looked back and heard the roar and the screams getting louder.

"What's screaming?" Sammy asked, terrified.

"The tortured souls of all those the leviathan has killed. It is as we feared. The leviathan is one of the great evils that stalks this planet. Quickly!" Deena urged.

They rushed through, passing through a tiny crag and emerging into a colossal room marked with a narrow set of stairs. They led up from their present location.

"A way out!" If we can make it..." Freyl said, and the team pushed onwards, hurtling up the steps.

A spear then clanged against the stairway, and Depa cut another in two as it flew at them.

"Massassi are above us!" Allya cried, cutting another one down.

"There is no time! To the top of the stairs!" Freda yelled angrily and they pushed on.

The roars and the screams were getting closer, and they could feel the thuds of the leviathan as it stalked it's prey.

"Why's it chasing us, whatever it is?" Krass cried.

"It smells the Force. It wishes to consume us to make it stronger. Hurry! Get up the stairs!" Gravix urged, cutting another spear out of the air.

They were halfway up when a large echoing thud reverberated around the room. The leviathan was breaking through into the escape corridor.

"By the Force, it's coming!" Thalin cried, shoving a last youngling up.

"Come on master! We cant fight it!" Teelin said, dragging Marshin up the stairs.

They finally dashed out of the stairway, running up a narrow slope to emerge onto an overlook, which had no way off it.

"We're doomed." Depa said quietly, as the younglings began to cry in despair.

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**Location: Xalma's shuttle**

**Status: Repaired**

Xalma's eyes flashed open from her meditation. A great darkness was swelling nearby, and she could feel the tiny lights that were the Jedi close to it.

"There is a great evil. Prepare yourselves, and have a couple of VACS meet us by homing in on our position. I wish to see what the Jedi have stumbled across." She ordered.

Slinker nodded, and he directed the ship towards the great darkness.

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**Location: Overlook, Darkron**

**Status: Despairing**

Freda looked over the edge. Underneath the jutting overlook they were standing on was a titanic chasm, dropping for kilometres. Across for them was a narrow ledge, leading to another rocky path.

"That's the way." She said.

Depa shook her head.

"It's too far." She said sadly.

"No. Not if we work together. We can levitate the younglings across, and the clones and the captain. Then, if we get one or two of us across, they can get the rest of us over." Freda said, sounding unconvinced.

"It's the best plan we have." Thalin reasoned.

Depa nodded, as the thuds of the leviathan, along with it's roars and screams got ever closer. The older Jedi surrounded the younglings in the Force and gently floated them across, landing them on the narrow ledge, drawing greatly on their strength as they did so. They all landed safely, and they then sent over Worikil, Rocket and Ordin.

"Go Deena!" Depa said urgently as they could hear shattering noises from behind them, letting them know the leviathan had reached the stairs and was now working it's way up towards them.

Deena leapt, and the others saw her safely across. She was followed by Sammy and Allya, and then Thalin and Teelin were sent over.

The roars weren't far now.

"Hurry!" Deena pleaded.

Gravix was then floated over, and then they sent over Greeta.

"Come on masters!" she called as Freyl joined them.

Depa pushed Freda, who shook her head.

"No my dear. You have the Council to report to. Your life is more precious."

Depa started to protest and Freda floated her across.

"Oi!" Depa said as she landed.

Freda nodded and prepared to get levitated over, when there was a rumbling sound.

"I'm too late." She said, and turned around in horror.

The leviathan smashed through the rocks, emerging from the tunnels, roaring, it's blisters screams louder than ever. It was a gargantuan beast, a deep purple colour. It's wicked red eyes were full of bloodlust as it roared at Freda. Hundreds of blisters covered it's body, in which the ghosts of it's victims could be made out. It's colossal jaws were salivating as it stomped towards her.

"Master! Come on!" Freyl cried desperately.

Freda turned and looked at him sadly as the beast emerged fully from the cavern.

"I'm afraid not. If we do not delay this beast, it will just step over the chasm and follow. I must fight it." She said, and raised her saber.

"Freda, no!" Raxin cried.

"Dont!" Deena urged.

"Go you fools! I shall deal with this creature!" Freda said, centring herself in the Force.

The beast then snapped at her. Freda cut upwards, scarring the beast's nose.

"Freda!" Depa called.

"GO!" she roared, as she sliced it's foot as it swiped at her.

The leviathan roared in fury and tried to crush her among it's jaws. Freda sprang upwards, flipping over the creature to land on it's back. She stuck her blade in it's back and ran down, leaving a long thin scar as she did so. The leviathan reared in pain, thrashing it's tail as she jumped off. It swung it's tail, but Freda dug her blade in, causing more pain to it.

"Go back to the Abyss!" she cried, slicing it's mouth as it tried to kill her once more.

"Master!" Freyl yelled.

It was too late to do anything. The beast started thrashing about, and cracks appeared in the overlook, it's rock splintering under the added stress. Freda then gasped as the leviathan gave a great roar and dove down at her. She swiped upwards, slicing the roof of it's mouth, making it slam it's head into the ground. The impact jarred loose several rocks that cascaded down, adding to the stress of the overlook. The leviathan, wounded, gave a roar and turned from Freda, and moved towards the edge of the overlook.

"NO!" she cried, as it started to move towards walking over the large chasm.

She leapt, and settled in front of it, where she raised her blade to command it's attention.

"You are a perversion of Sith magic! But you shall not kill them! Be gone from this place!" she yelled, cutting into it's snout.

It reared and as it thudded down, the overlook fractured even more. Freda closed her eyes, accepting her fate. If she did not defeat this monster, her companions would not escape, and they would all be devoured.

"I am a servant of the Force, a Jedi Master of the Order! And I will bring you down!" she vowed, and gathered the Force around her.

Depa closed her eyes in saddened realisation. Freda was not going to live.

"NO!" Raxin yelled in anguish.

"There must be another way!" Deena cried.

Freda looked sadly at them.

"Go. Do not let this be in vain." She whispered, before looking at her Padawan.

"I am sorry." She said.

"Master, no!" Freyl cried, but Allya held onto him, tears in her eyes.

Freda then let loose with a massive Force wave as the creature darted down to consume her. The blast ripped the overlook from the cavern wall with a great crunch, and the beast reared. It fell back to the ground, and with a great rumble, the overlook fell from the overlook and toppled with a roar. The leviathan gave a frightened roar as it, the overlook, and Freda fell down the massive chasm beneath them.

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**Location: Chasm, Darkron**

**Status: Falling**

Freda nodded in grim satisfaction as the overlook fell from the cavern wall, taking the leviathan with it. It smashed against the walls of the chasm as it fell, roaring in pain and futile fury. Freda accelerated her fall, grabbing onto a fleshy fold on it's neck. It spasmed uncontrollably as it crashed into the thinning walls of the chasm. Freda sliced one blister, letting loose several tortured souls. She then Force pushed some more freeing more souls as rubble fell past them, and pierced more blisters, freeing more. Freda was smacked by a rock, and she fell to her knees on the back of the beast, and dug her blade into it's head, then Force pushed it further down to sever it's artery in it's brain. The beast gave a defeated roar and died as it bounced off the sides of the chasm, before falling through the narrow end of the chasm and entering another. Freda looked at the bottom of this chasm and saw several spiked rocks jutting out of a large, black pool. The end had come. However, she had secured the escape of her charges, and had killed a leviathan. Smiling at that, she surrendered herself to the Force as the dead body slammed in, skewering itself on the rocks, and taking her into oblivion as the disturbed water destroyed her body.

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**Location: Ledge, Darkron**

**Status: Unbelieving**

"NOOO!" Freyl cried, tears falling as he struggled to look over the side to see his master.

Depa fought back tears. They should never have come here. Too many lives had been lost here. And there was still no chance of leaving this hellish place.

Deena was looking at where the overlook had been a few seconds before, disbelief and sorrow clear on her face. Raxin looked devastated by his friend's death, while Gravix bowed his head in mourning. The clones and Worikil looked saddened, while the younglings cried.

There was then a flash, and Freda disappeared from the Force, making all of the Jedi weep. She was gone.

"We need to go." Thalin said, his voice choked.

"My my my. A leviathan. Your friend was very brave sacrificing herself against that thing. I am impressed. However, her sacrifice was in vain. Because you are all about to die." Xalma said as she appeared on the top of the cavern, smiling gloatingly down at them, and flanked by her two pet slaves, and dozens of droids.

**Yet more deaths. And I do admit...there is some Lord of the Rings stuff here, however get into the full realm of Star Wars next chapter!**

**Poor Master Freda. The last of the Habats is gone.**

**The leviathan is the nasty beastie created by Karness Muur and seen in the graphic novel of the same title. The Sith Lord is one from Naga Sadow's Empire.**

**How will the Jedi escape Xalma? And if they do, what terror will they encounter next?**

**A difficult choice is coming, one that has severe consequeences for all concerned!**

**Please read and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

8

**Location: Ledge, Darkron **

**Status: Cornered**

Xalma leered at the band of Jedi, standing, gazing up at her with looks torn between fury and despair on their faces. She couldn't deny that she wasn't impressed by the actions of the Ithorian, who had sacrificed herself to save her companions from a creature from the Hundred Year Darkness. However, she was here to kill Depa Billaba and her charges, and she would not be stopped.

"Die Jedi!" she cried, and her droids opened fire, while Xalma, Slinker and Stinker let loose with jets of Force lightning.

Gravix rushed forwards and absorbed Slinker's attack, catching it in his hand and behind it to his will. Deena did the same with Slinker's, while Thalin absorbed Xalma's on his saber. The other Jedi were on the defensive, along with Worikil and the clones, shooting down or deflecting the shots of the droids to defend the younglings. Blaster bolts raged between the two parties, and Depa cursed as she blocked another shot.

"This is no good!" she cried to the Padawans.

Freyl looked up at where Xalma was directing a lethal current of lightning at the party.

"Wait. The rock will be weakened... if we can use that..."

Depa nodded. The cavern roof was already weakened by the destruction the leviathan had caused, and further by Freda's sacrifice.

"Cover me." Depa said to Sammy and Greeta, and immersed herself in the Force.

She stretched put with the Force, feeling her way up the cavern wall as blaster bolts zoomed around her, deflected by the Padawans. Worikil and the clones were surrounding her, shooting up at the droids. Meanwhile, the three masters were struggling to hold off the torrent of Force lightning from the three Dark Jedi. Depa however had discovered what she was searching for. Increasing her control, she penetrated the miniscule cracks in the cavern wall and expanded them. They began to crumble, and dust began to fall from the cavern as the cracks expanded. Xalma stopped her relentless attack, and cursed in fury as the cavern roof gave way beneath her party. The droids all toppled from the top of the cavern, while Xalma and her two slaves flipped backwards, escaping the avalanche.

"Hurry!" Deena cried as she helped Depa to her feet.

They ran for it, down the narrow rocky crag, and away from the capital city of the Massassi.

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**Location: Ruined cavern entrance, Darkron**

**Status: Fuming**

Xalma cursed as she saw the Jedi vanish into the darkness.

"Damn them." She cursed.

Slinker grinned as he approached her.

"What is it?" she asked irritably.

"You needn't worry my lady. Wee have them trapped." He said smugly.

"Oh yes? How so?" she asked interestedly.

Slinker grinned maliciously.

"They're walking into a sarlacc field." He said gloatingly.

Xalma smiled evilly, flashing her fangs.

"Excellent. Get another transport to meet us up ahead. In fact, bring three. If they make it across the sarlacc fields, I want to crush them when they get to the other side." She purred.

"And something else to interest you my mistress. There's a group of rancors nearby." Stinker added.

Xalma smiled joyfully.

"Come, let us crush the Jedi." She hissed, and they got to it.

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**Location: Narrow crag, Darkron**

**Status: Subdued**

The Jedi team made good their escape, and slowly started to pick their way down the narrow canyon. Depa hoped that nothing of evil intent made it's roost here, and that they wouldn't run into any of the nasty Massassi natives. The team had seen enough death on this nightmare moon.

It was worse by the fact that it was her fault. Deena had argued against coming this way, and Depa knew that they shouldn't have, but Yoda had been insistent that they get to Coruscant as soon as possible. And Depa had foolishly listened. If only they had gone another way, taken another route, none of them would be here now. As Depa was convinced that the Nightsister pursuing them was only here because she knew Depa would be here, and she wanted to kill such a famous Jedi master. Depa silently vowed not to let that happen. However, as she travelled, dark thoughts, aided and abetted by the moon, started slipping into Depa's mind and she began to despair.

Deena looked at the younglings under her care sadly. They had lost six of their number, most of the clones and now they had lost Freda. Her loss was a terrible pain in their hearts. Freda had been a cornerstone of the Academy on Alpherides for decades. The fact that she was now gone was just too terrible a thought to bear. Deena looked at Freyl, Freda's now orphaned Padawan, and sensed his brooding feelings of loss, resentment and despair. The moon was affecting all of them in light of their many tragedies, and their exhaustion was beginning to take hold. Xalma couldn't be helping and was no doubt stimulating the dark side to be a psychological weapon against them. Deena quietly wondered to herself how much longer they could keep it up.

Gravix could feel the despair and sense of defeat that was increasing. Depa was blaming herself for the situation they were in, Freyl was bitterly curing the mission and the Sith monsters that prowled the moon, the younglings were despairing, Deena and Raxin were both in a stunned silence, Thalin was pondering what would happen to Teelin if he died, the other Padawans were struggling to keep up a brave face, and the clones and captain were wondering why they didn't just give it all up.

"Take heart all. We shall soon reach the outpost. Then all we have to do is await extraction." Gravix reminded.

Teelin smiled at his attempt to raise their spirits, but she was the only one affected in that way. The others spirits actually sank further, reminded that there were undoubtedly more monsters for them to face.

"Oh no." Deena said, bringing the silent procession to a stop.

They were on top of the narrow crag, and could see where it was leading. It was going to take them right into a sarlacc field. Walking across that and getting through it alive would be impossible.

"Will this never end? I've had enough!" Yannu, a Devaronian boy yelled.

"Calm down Yannu." Deena said, not unkindly.

He shook his head.

"We're stuck here on this stupid moon, and it's all her fault!" he yelled, pointing at Depa angrily.

Raxin shot him a glare.

"Mind yourself young one. You may be of Padawan age, but that does not give you the right to talk so to your peers! Now, keep your tongue still!"

Yannu shook his defiantly.

"No. I wont. I've had enough, I want it to end!" he cried, his mind finally cracking as he failed to absorb the latest piece of bad news.

Deena looked at the boy mournfully as he lost his mind, and rushed down the hill.

"If he sets off those sarlacc, we'll never get over them!" Worikil yelled desperately.

Raxin looked at Deena, who turned away, unable to do it. Yannu's mind was shattered, and the living shell was of little good to anyone now that it's essence had died. They couldn't allow the boy who had once been Yannu to compromise their escape.

"Do it." Raxin said, and turned away as Rocket fired.

The blaster bolt hit Yannu in the back and he dropped like a stone, put down for the good of the group. Depa fought back tears as she observed the waste of such a long life. But was he not right? Had she not caused all this?

The younglings were in tears, seeing one of the group die at the hands of another member. But there was nothing for it. It had had to be done.

"How do we get over?" Allya asked in a choked voice.

Raxin let out a shuddering breath.

"We must all join together. We shall tie our belts together, so that none of us can stray. We shall get across in single file. Together, in single file and with the will of the Force, we shall hopefully avoid setting off the sarlaccs. Come, together now." Raxin said, positioning himself at the head of the line that was forming.

They all joined together, with Allya bringing up the rear, all of them tied together with belts.

"What's that noise?" Hillin, the Lannik boy asked.

Depa strained to hear anything over the despair she was feeling, but she soon made a humming, which was rapidly approaching.

"Some new monster?" Deena asked, her voice lifeless.

Worikil shook his head regretfully.

"Worse. It's a vulture droid. She's found us!" Thalin cried, as the elder Jedi lit their sabers.

It was indeed a vulture droid, which swooped down, it's lasers pounding away. The blasts gouged chunks of rock from the canyon, and it floated above them before spreading itself across the canyon in walk mode.

"It'll fire down and incinerate us! Move!" Rocket yelled, and Raxin began to run, Deena behind him.

The entire queue of Jedi dashed down the rocky crags as the vulture droid's lasers pumped down at them, narrowly missing Allya, who was trying her best to avoid the blasts, all the while shoving Krass in front of her.

"We need to stop that thing!" Teelin screamed as the blasts got closer.

"We cant turn and fight!" Thalin answered.

Deena steadied herself with the Force, letting that do the running, and she threw her saber up. The blade hung in the air before she directed it to the droid's left legs, and used the Force to cut through them with the saber. The droid gave an electronic squawk and it toppled onto it's side on the right hand side of the canyon. The blade went back to Deena's hand, and despite her tiredness, she ran on.

They then entered the fields of sarlacc, which stretched as far as they could see, dozens of massive pits, each with long tendrils extending from them. One wrong move and they would all be devoured.

"Now, we must proceed carefully. Do not lose your footing, or we are surely doomed." Raxin said from the front of the line, Deena with his hand on his shoulder.

Worikil, who was behind Uruola and in front of Rocket, leaned backwards.

"Am I the only one who considers them crazy for letting the blind guy dictate the way through the death trap?" he asked, and Rocket sniggered as they started to pick their way slowly across the fields.

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**Location: Rancor fields, Darkron**

**Status: Dominated**

Xalma smiled in satisfaction as the last rancor in the field's mind broke to serve her will. There were around a dozen, and she would lead them to kill the Jedi. She selected the matriarch of the tribe and pulled herself up onto it.

"Come on. Prepare the droids, and we shall crush the Jedi for good." She said, and set the entire group into motion.

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**Location: Sarlacc fields, Darkron**

**Status: Treacherous**

They were roughly half way across the fields of sarlacc. So far, they had managed to avoid the stretching tentacles. The beasts could tell that they were there, but so far they had kept to the barriers of calcium between the things that made up the fields. Provided they kept that up, they would be safe.

Deena and Depa however could feel a rising malevolence.

"Master?" Greeta asked, her saber ready as they passed another sarlacc.

"You feel it to? Whatever it is, it cant be good." Thalin said.

There was then a roar from the northeast side of the field. They all jerked their heads up to observe a massive clan of rancors standing at the top of a hill, roaring down at them.

"Oh no. If they charge, all this lot will go off!" Raxin said, readying his double blades.

Depa cursed as the lead rancor came into view, with Xalma perched upon it, smiling gloatingly at them.

"BILLABA! YOU MADE A MISTAKE COMING HERE!" she cried.

Depa went pale. They were trapped among the sarlacc fields and a clan of bloodthirsty rancors atop them, complete with an evil Nightsister leading them.

"RUN!" Deena yelled from behind and the entire group made a dash for it, as the rancors gave a cry and charged.

Raxin charged among the sarlaccs, and then came to a sudden stop as a tentacle narrowly avoided crushing him.

"It's Xalma! She's making the sarlaccs go mad!" he yelled as the entire field was suddenly filled with writhing tentacles and the cries of the sarlacc.

The younglings all started to cluster together as a group of tentacles came down at them from all sides. Gravix and Thalin cut two of them, sending the things reeling as they pondered.

"We need to run, or we're all going to be dinner!" Greeta said.

Depa nodded.

"She's right. We're Jedi. We can get over the fields. Then we can deal with Xalma." She said, and Raxin set off for the centre of the fields, where the tentacles were curiously few.

Allya, who was at the back, leapt up avoiding a low swing from one tentacle and saw that the area they were heading into was another sarlacc.

"Master! We're walking onto a mega sarlacc!"

Raxin turned to her in alarm, and a great roar emitted from behind him. The entire group looked up as massive tentacles shot up into the air, thrashing about.

"Hurry Raxin!" Thalin urged.

The Miraluka broke into a run, and ducked under one gargantuan tentacle, while the others had to swerve to avoid it. Depa closed her eyes in despair as Raxin led them on. There was very little chance they would escape without losing someone. The mega sarlacc dominated the field up to the canyon where they were aiming for, and where Xalma was steadily approaching. The team rolled under another vicious swing, and Depa sliced the creature's tentacle. It shuddered a bit, however it came slamming down at them and they all had to leap to the ground to avoid it.

"Use the Force! Sense a clear path!" Thalin urged.

Raxin nodded, and then set off, bringing them all to their feet as they dashed forwards. He ducked and weaved through the death trap, then entered the narrow strait leading to the canyon they had always been aiming for. Relief and delight filled them all as they got through, as Raxin was nearing the canyon and Xalma was still too far off to stop them.

"Rocket! Do you have any detonators?" Raxin called back.

"Only a permacrete, why?"

"Activate it!" he yelled.

The clone did so, setting the timer for a few minutes, when they suddenly all jerked to a stop, and there were two terrible screams.

Allya and Krass were both trapped by a tentacle of the sarlacc, unable to do anything as they were bound to each other and their bodies were being crushed.

"Master!" she pleaded desperately as the sarlacc tried to pull them back into it's maw, with them all with it.

"Throw the detonator!" Deena yelled, and Rocket threw it, and Thalin sent it into the maw of the mega sarlacc.

"Help!" Krass squeaked as he lost his footing, and Allya struggled to keep hers.

"Only a few seconds!" Rocket called, as the entire team tried to stop them from pulled in, and them along with it.

"It's...too...strong!" Gravix grunted as he too slid closer towards the sarlacc.

"It should go off now!" Rocket cried.

However nothing happened. The seconds stretched on and still nothing happened.

"I dont understand, there must be a fault..." Rocket said, mystified.

Allya and Krass were being dragged into the maw of the creature. Despite their struggling they were still going to be eaten by the creature, and due to the strength of the beast and the fact that they were tied together, was dragging the rest of the team into the creature too.

Depa could hear Xalma cackling from over the field, as she realised that they would have to make a devastating choice. Either they all died, or the sacrificed Allya and Krass.

Deena looked at Raxin in horrified disbelief. They had known the youngsters all their lives, and Allya was Raxin's Padawan. However, they had no choice. If they didn't break the sarlacc's hold, they'd all be devoured.

"Shoot it!" Gravix yelled.

The clones, who were struggling to stay on their feet, fired at the massive tentacle. The bolts hit, and left a burn mark, but the creature was far too large for the wound to bother it. All it did was pull harder, and most of them fell off their feet. Raxin looked sorrowfully at Deena and Depa, who averted their gazes in despair.

"Cut the rope." Raxin said, his voice lifeless.

Allya looked in abject horror at her master, who turned his head away.

"No! You cant!" Krass yelled.

"I'm so sorry." Raxin said, meeting Allya's betrayed, furious, horrified glare.

Thalin then did the necessary, and cut the cord. The dragging stopped, and Allya and Krass were jerked into the air by the sarlacc. The team looked up at them, broken by what they had to do. The two screamed before they plummeted down into the massive maw of the mega sarlacc, and their screams were abruptly cut short as they vanished from sight.

"Force forgive us!" Raxin yelled in defeat.

And then, the detonator exploded.

A pillar of flame shot up from the sarlacc, making it cry out as it was cremated. However, strips of flame then travelled across the fields, before making all the other sarlaccs into pillars of flame. Xalma cursed as fires rose in her path, interrupted from glorifying in the despair of the Jedi. While Raxin knelt before the pillar of flame that was the mega sarlacc, Deena pulled the others to their feet. Ignoring Raxin's anguished sobs, she led them on, bending a path through the fires and entering the canyon they had been aiming for.

"Why!? A few more seconds..." Raxin sobbed.

Deena cut all the ropes down, and turned to leave the canyon.

"Come. We must proceed." She said, her voice thick with tears.

"Oh no you don't!"

Xalma had arrived, mounted upon her rancor, with her two slaves and a group of droids behind her. The Jedi went on the defensive.

"You have all led me a merry chase. However, I thank you for the diverting entertainment of seeing you willingly sacrifice two of your own. A real masterpiece. However, it is at an end. Its time for you to meet your fate! Kill them!" she yelled, and flipped off of the rancor, a red lightsaber in hand.

Her two slaves also leapt, sabers in their hand, and the battle was on. Teelin, Sammy and Greeta went on the defensive, blocking shots and keeping them away from the heartbroken younglings. The clones and Worikil sheltered in an outcropping and continued to pump blaster fire around the corner, blasting apart droids. Gravix and Thalin leapt into the fray, taking the fire of the SBDs that had arrived and began dismantling them.

Raxin lit both ends of his saber and crashed them into Stinker's red one, and he was joined in the attack by Freyl. Stinker cursed and backed up, blocking their swings as he fell back. Deena's blade slammed into Slinker's, who went onto the offensive. His blade whizzed around her, trying to cut her into pieces, however she was far more agile, blocking his attacks and lunging in, scarring his shoulder. He backed up in pain, and Deena went in, her blade batting away at his defence.

Xalma came in high, her scarlet lightsaber slamming into Depa's green one. The Jedi master blocked the attack, before flipping over and cutting behind her. Xalma edged out of the way and brought her foot up, smashing it into Depa's back. Depa staggered and Xalma drove her blade down at her. Depa however, was wise to this move and caught Xalma in the stomach with her fist. The Nightsister wheezed backwards, and Depa followed the attack with a powerful Force push that lifted Xalma off the ground and slammed her into the canyon wall.

Xalma cursed and threw a massive boulder at Depa, who sliced it up with her saber before Xalma hurtled at her, blade extended. Depa caught the attack, and hissed at Xalma.

"Your skills are impressive Nightsister. Dooku has trained you well in the use of the saber. Your Force powers are prodigious. However, you will not know victory here." She snarled.

Xalma cackled.

"Really Jedi? I seem to think I am already winning! How many have you lost so far? Only more will come! You may as well accept your fate now!" she cackled, blocking Depa's swing.

Depa gritted her teeth, trying to block out Xalma's voice and focus on the battle rather than the truth of her words.

The droids were advancing mercilessly while the three duels raged. Deena was keeping Slinker on the defensive, her green blade crashing away at his iron defence as she strived to break through. Raxin and Freyl were both battling Stinker, who was doing extremely well at holding them off. Xalma on the other hand was steadily being forced back. While her skill was great, Depa's was greater and the Jedi Master was forcing the Nightsister back.

Depa hacked upwards, and Xalma flipped out of the way, landing on top of a rock.

"I've had enough of this." She sneered, and let loose with a torrent of Force lightning.

Depa screeched in surprise as she barely raised her blade in time to diffuse the attack. Electricity crackled around her as she stood firm, but Xalma's powers were slowly beginning to overcome her. Depa began to sweat, and her hands begun to blister as she tried to hold the Nightsister, who was cackling madly, at bay.

Deena gave a war cry of victory as she batted Sluinker's blade out of his hand, spraining his wrist. She went in for the kill, raising her blade to plunge her saber right into his heart. Slinker bared his teeth at her and flipped away, landing beside Xalma and letting loose with a torrent of lightning of his own. Deena quickly joined Depa in holding off the vicious attack, their lightsabers shaking as the attack continued.

"We cant keep this up Deena!" Depa cried as the electricity crackled.

"We only need to hold her off long enough for the younglings to get away!" Deena called back.

Behind them, Gravix and Thalin finished the droids and started shoving the younglings along the path. Stinker saw this, and, abandoning his duel, sprang over Raxin and Freyl and dashed after them.

"No!" Raxin yelled, blasting him with a Force push.

Stinker jumped away from the attack, and landed beside his mistress, joining his own brand of lightning to the attack. Raxin and Freyl joined Depa and Deena, but even with the extra help the power of the three Dark siders was too much, and the Force storm they were using was forcing them all back.

"She's...too...powerful!" Deena gasped.

Raxin looked at her, then surged forward, taking the torrent on both sabers of his weapon.

"Raxin?" Depa asked as she took a well earned breather.

He then blasted her, Deena and Freyl up the slope and pushed forward, getting nearer and nearer to Xalma and her cohorts. They sneered down at the blind Jedi master, as blue light started to coalesce around him.

"RUN!" he yelled.

"Raxin, no!" Deena shrieked.

Depa took Deena's shoulder and reluctantly steered her away.

"No, not another one!" she protested.

"I'm so sorry Deena. May the Force be with you Raxin." Depa said, and the three Jedi vanished up the craggy path.

"Your friends may have escaped us for the moment Jedi fool, but they will not get far. Now die!" Stinker raged.

Raxin looked up to see another VAC approaching. If that landed, the others wouldn't get far. As such, he surrendered himself to the Force, conducting all the energy pouring into him into a massive wreath of electricity, which he channelled into his body. Xalma realised what he intended to do and leapt off the rock, but it was too late to do anything else. Raxin surrendered himself to the Force, and the collected energy exploded in a massive flash, disintegrating the walls of the canyon and sending the VAC plummeting into the corpse of the mega sarlacc. Blue lightning crackled all around as rocks, dust and droids parts flew through the air, leaving a massive crater surrounded by rocks at the end. All that remained of Raxin was a scorched piece of earth in the centre of the large, debris filled crater. There was no trace of Xalma or her goons, and Raxin's sacrifice had allowed the others to make good their escape.

**More Jedi deaths. I told you they would have to face a nasty choice. Save themselves and kill the two or do nothing and all die? Not a pleasant experience. **

**Next time we meet a new enemy who is an emissary of things to come! And this wont be his only appearance either!**

**Until then please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (or I wouldnt put stupid uneeded breaks in Clone Wars to make it go off for two weeks!)**

9

**Location: Canyon, Darkron**

**Status: Fried**

Xalma Force pushed the boulders off of herself, Slinker and Stinker. Yet again the Jedi had escaped her!

"Bloody Billaba!" she screeched angrily.

Slinker dusted himself off as he got to his feet.

"I must agree with that. But we cant pursue her now, we're a right state. We'll go back to the _Malicious_, you can have a long bath, then we can resume our search. It's not as if we don't know where they're going anyway." He counselled.

Xalma nodded. He had a good point, and duelling had left her muscles sore. A lie down wouldn't go amiss.

Stinker then narrowed his eyes as he stretched out with his feelings.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

Xalma rolled her eyes.

"Stinker, we know where they are going. They're going to the outpost." She said.

"No! Stretch out..." he said.

Xalma arched an eyebrow but did so.

Then, she felt it. A dark malevolent presence, burning in the dark side. It was ruthlessly evil, and had a clear intent, but she couldn't discern what it was. It felt strong, powerful and clever.

"What is that?" Slinker asked nervously.

"Incredibly powerful. There is something else on this moon to worry about. Something far worse than the leviathan. Get us a ship, now. Then we can get out of here." Xalma said, keeping a hand on her saber until the shuttle arrived.

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**Location: Research outpost pathway, Darkron**

**Status: Subdued**

The death of Raxin had nearly broken the spirit of the younglings. And the knowledge that Allya and Krass, both loved members of their group, had been condemned to death had driven the group further into despair. Depa trudged up the path to the outpost. She supposed the only thing that was keeping them from losing their minds was the knowledge that when they got to the old outpost, they would be able to hopefully send a message and escape the nightmare.

Depa knew their entire survival depended upon being able to send a message. If they couldn't send a message in the outpost, entirely possible as it had been around for about two and a half thousand years, they would have to hope the thousand year old one would serve.

They continued up the rocky slope, and Depa's feeling of foreboding grew. If they couldn't send a message, it could very well lead to more children giving up totally, just like Yannu. Everything depended on sending a message now, and she knew the thought that they could soon be rescued was all that was keeping them going.

As she mulled this over, she felt a dark flicker at the back of her mind. She frowned, and stretched out with her feelings. Whatever it was, it was powerful in the dark side, and reeked of evil. It felt strong, and almost black in its presence, and it made Depa shudder. Whatever it was, it was following them, it was evil, it was intelligent and it was deadly.

"Do you feel that?" Gravix asked nervously.

"Yes. We are being followed." Thalin said, joining them.

Depa frowned.

"Whatever it is, I don't think it has anything to do with the presence of Tritos Nal being on this moon. This is something of a different breed. Be wary. We cannot stay at the outpost for long." She counselled, a hand on her lightsaber.

Depa frowned as they finally reached the outpost. Whatever was following them was coming for them. And it would be up to her to stop it.

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**Location: **_**Lucrehulk**_** cruiser **_**Malicious**_

**Status: Blockading**

Dooku stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"A dark presence you say?" he asked.

"Yes. And whatever it is my master, it's a lot more dangerous than the leviathan that was down there. And I don't think it's anything to do with the Sith that brought the Massassi there either." She said.

"Curious." He said, looking pensive.

"Orders?" she asked.

"See what transpires. And if, as you think, this creature is going after Billaba, let it do so. And if it fails...you must crush them." He said.

"Of course my master."

He was about to say something else when she shut him off.

"Slinker, prepare my shuttle." She ordered.

She would find out what this thing was, then...she would finish the Jedi.

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**Location: Research outpost, Darkron**

**Status: Active**

Depa looked around at the exhausted children. Now that they were at the outpost they could finally rest, if only for a little while. They had lost basically half of the class, and two of the teachers, and the children were tired and exhausted. Depa could feel their depression, but also the faintest inkling of hope. It was up to her now.

"You do realise we will have to make for the other outpost?" Worikil asked.

"Do we have to? Cant we just stay here?" Deena asked, looking desperately at the children.

Depa shook her head.

"No. We wont be able to get a gunship down to get us out." She said sadly.

Deena cursed softly.

"Cant we stay here for a while? They need the rest." She pleaded.

Gravix appeared behind her and shook his head gravely.

"We cannot afford to linger here any longer than is necessary. Stretch out with your feelings Deena. Can you not sense that great evil which is stalking us?" he asked.

Deena frowned, and felt outwards, recoiling when she located it.

"Dont like that." She said.

Rocket came up to them, looking worried.

"The kids cant keep running, from monsters or that Sep witch chasing us. We need a rest." He said.

"I know. All being well we shall have one soon." Depa said, activating the computer.

As she waited for the computer to warm up, due to it being out of service for two millennia, she watched the children, feeling immense guilt. She had been told to take the Darkron route certainly, but Depa could have ignored this and saved so many lives. The loss of so many younglings, and other Jedi and clones was on her head and hers alone. Questions about competence had started to slip into her mind, and on her ability to lead them off this Force-forsaken rock and get them home. She had failed them all, and she could feel distrust, apathy and anger from many of the group. Many of the children blamed her for this situation and she didn't blame them.

Her eyes passed over the last of the children and noticed that they were two short. Her protective instinct flying into overdrive as she looked around.

"Where are Ururola and Palloo?" she demanded.

"Master!" Palloo's scared voice came from up the corridor.

Depa, Gravix and Deena dashed up the corridor to find the young Quermian girl and her Ho'Din companion quivering in fear.

"What is it?" Deena asked, but Depa had seen it.

Bones. There were many large bones littered around the sitting area, some still with meat on. Some of the meat was deep red, indicating that whatever the body part was, it was once a Massassi. Others were a pale grey colour, indicating decomposed human skin, meaning that some clones had been killed here. Dozens of bones littered the table, indicating the deaths of many in recent days.

"What foul creature did this?" Deena asked, aghast, as Sammy took the younglings away.

"General." Rocket said.

Depa, distracted from her musings as she looked at the grisly remains of clones and Massassi alike, went to see what the clone had found. And immediately wished she hadn't.

The clone trooper's armour, covered in blood, was hanging from the ceiling, suspended from hooks in the neck.

"What did this?" Worikil asked, sounding sick as he arrived.

"Something of great evil and malevolence." Thalin theorised.

"Or perhaps something doing a research project." Gravix said worriedly.

He showed them a large piece of paper. The armour was drawn on it, with a human wearing on them, and red stars were marked on it. All of them marked were it would be easiest to kill a human.

"What is all this?" Deena asked, frightened.

"I don't know. It looks like whatever it is is studying to find how to kill people more easily." Worikil said, frowning.

"General..." Rocket said, before throwing up.

Depa walked over, patting him on the back. She then saw what he had seen and vomited herself.

They were heads, hung by the eye sockets onto hooks from the ceiling. But that wasn't the worst. The neck looked like it had been ripped off the body, both Massassi and clone alike. But the worst part was that there was nothing side the heads. It was like a horrifically done mask hanging from the ceiling.

"What new devilry caused this?" Gravix wondered, sounding sick.

"They ate the insides of the head, then took out the skull. What is behind this?" Rocket asked, sounding scared.

Depa frowned.

"That dark presence following us." She said.

Deena looked at her in concern.

"We need to get the children out of here, and away from this moon." She said.

Depa nodded gravely.

"Agreed."

Greeta then poked her head around the door, not seeing the slaughter scene.

"Masters, we're up and running." She reported.

"Thank you Padawan. Come." Depa said.

"Seal this door." Deena ordered Rocket, who nodded.

Depa went to the comm and bent over it.

"This is Depa Billaba to the Jedi Council. We are stranded on Darkron and unable to get off. We require immediate evacuation. We are being hunted by an unknown dark side presence and a new Separatist General called Xalma, who is a Nightsister. The moon is under blockade. We must get off this moon before Xalma comes to finish us off. Please hurry."

Depa sighed.

"That's that." She said quietly.

"Master, why do we have to go?" Hillin whined.

"Trust me, we do." Deena said, ushering them towards the door.

Depa then felt a slight breeze. She turned around to see that the door had opened at the front of the outpost.

"Did you leave the door open?" she asked Thalin urgently.

"No." He said worriedly.

"It's in. Go." Depa said, taking off her lightsaber.

"Master, no! We don't know what it is!" Greeta protested.

"But we do know it's dangerous and is stalking us. Deena, lead them on. I will hold it off. Whatever it is." Depa said uncertainly.

Deena nodded grimly.

"May the Force be with you Depa my friend. Come young ones." Deena said, shooing the younglings out of the base.

"Master..." Greeta said.

"Go." Depa intoned with steel in her voice.

Greeta went with her head hung low. Depa then heard a low menacing growl from where the head masks were hanging. Depa frowned, holding her lightsaber close. Whatever this thing was, she didn't want it going after the others. She used the Force to shut off all the lights and hid, as the door into the command room opened.

In the darkness she couldn't see much. There was flashing, like light bouncing off a shiny surface, and in the shadows Depa could make out that it was about two metres tall. A faint rasping growl was emitting from its throat.

"I sense your presence Jedi. I know you are here." It said.

Depa was surprised. It spoke with a rasping, grating voice, like it had inhaled too much smoke. Through the darkness, she could see it turn from side to side, as though sniffing for her. What was this creature?

"I am of the past, and the future. My people await my findings before we return to our ancestral home. And you and your ilk stand in our way." He growled.

Depa assumed it was male, and that it was getting closer. Things didn't look good. She didn't know what this thing was, but it was clearly malicious. She gripped her lightsaber hard, ready to strike in the darkness.

"You are a fool to interfere. Your kind will be exterminated and we shall claim dominance. Now, why don't you come out and play?" he asked menacingly.

Depa bared her teeth. This thing had to be stopped. It seemed to be something out of a nightmare. She looked around the pitch black room, debating. Feeling she had no other choice, she prepared to attack. If this thing was allowed to escape, she had every confidence it would kill the rest of the survivors. And she had a horrible feeling that he could only be the beginning. Swallowing her fear, she leapt, igniting her saber as she sprang.

The thing turned around, a crimson lightsaber raising to block her attack. Depa was so surprised his parry knocked her off course, sending her stumbling into the computer. It came at her with a set of three massive claws, and she danced away from the attack, barely avoiding her head. Depa raised her saber, trying to use it's green light to identify this monster. However, it was gone. She then heard a snarl and raised her blade behind her as she spun around, blocking a hacking swipe from the beast. It roared in annoyance and she catapulted away from it, flipping to the other side of the room and dashing through into the room where the ruins of his meal were.

Depa shut the door and slumped against the wall, panting. This creature, whatever it was, was a creature of great power. And it scared the living daylights out of her.

She dashed further down, hiding beneath the table as the door scraped open. She could see the massive bulky frame of her opponent fill the doorway.

"You want to hide Jedi? It will do you no good. I will break you, and your Order." He vowed.

Depa frowned. She could not stop this beast. Not with her strength anyway. So she would have to rely on her tricks. Because if this beast left this outpost alive...the entire galaxy could very well be in danger. She grabbed the old bones with the Force, rose them to eye level and sent them flying at the monster. The monster gave an irritated growl and swung his lightsaber to stop them, and in that instant, Depa attacked. She jetted out at him from under the table, raising her blade upwards. But, rather than slicing through flesh and dropping her foe to the floor, all she saw in the darkness was a set of hard scales, like diamond. The beast growled and swung his saber around to decapitate Depa. She blocked the swing, before dancing out of the way and slashing at his shoulder. The same hard scales made it bounce off again. Cursing, Depa back flipped away from the monster as it tried to rip her apart. She landed on a table and blasted him with a Force push. He gave a throaty laugh and jumped forward, cutting down. The blade sliced through the table and she stepped on his head before flipping down behind him, turning and slicing a gouge in another scale. He cackled with laughter and cut down at her, which she blocked barely. He then unleashed an offensive, strong, heavy handed blows from above her started to rain down and she was forced back into the room with the armour and the face masks. She sent the empty armour at him, and he gave a large Force push that blew them out of the air. He dashed towards her, and her blade blocked his merely an inch away from her body. She saw a large mouth, flanked by tusks which curved inwards. His mouth was full of several dozen jagged teeth, caked with blood. Depa fought back a wave of repulsion as she stepped back, letting his bade score the floor. She jumped to the other side of the room and turned to face the monster as it charged. She reached out with the Force, crashing a hook under his scales. He cursed and put his blade behind him to cut the chain, but Depa was too quick. Cutting the link, she allowed the chains to jerk up and her foe was pulled from the floor and suspended six feet in the air. She blasted the saber from his hand and ran while he tried to detach himself from the hooks.

Depa ran through, breathing hard. This savage monster presented a very real threat. Something wasn't right about it. This creature was something of the Sith, she was sure of it. But what, she didn't know. But unless she did something soon the thing would kill her, then her companions, so it had to go.

She looked around, and found the generator. It was her only chance. She stood by it, then looked up at the sprinkler system installed to douse irksome beasts that got in. She only hoped it still worked.

There was a roar of anger and a loud stomping. The creature was coming. Depa was doing some very quick thinking and then, relatively confident in her plan, she hid in the corner.

The beast erupted into the room, snarling furiously.

"You have drawn this out long enough Jedi. It is time for an ending. I will rip you to bits, feed on your flesh, and then I will go after the rest of your band." He said, his lightsaber the only beacon in the darkness.

Depa leapt at him, her saber igniting and scoring him as she jumped over his head, before flipping elsewhere to hide again. He growled as he looked around.

"Stay still puny Jedi." He commanded, raising his saber to give more light.

She then jumped at him from above, her blade gouging a chunk out of his scales. She then slashed his shoulder as he turned, before sending her saber in one direction while she flipped in another. Landing, she deactivated the blade and called it to her while the beast went over to where her saber had been.

As he was over the other side of the room, Depa calmed herself through the Force. This would require split second timing. If not, he would kill her and the others eventually too. Gripping her saber, she propelled herself towards him, before lighting it and plunging it into his back. This time the blade went through the scale and he gave a roar of pain, and Depa pulled her blade out, flipping backwards as she did so. He turned, his claws swiping at her, but she swung her blade, nicking his hands before she jumped up and cut the sprinkler. Water poured down onto the beast, covering his scaly body. The entire floor was soaked as the tank, obviously long overflowing, emptied itself into the room. The beast growled and Depa continued in her jump's arc, pushing her feet off against the wall before hurtling down towards the power cell. She Force pushed her lightsaber, and it plunged through the cell, sending energy flowing from it. The beast moaned slightly as the electricity hit the soaking floor.

There was then a series of large flashes as electricity coursed around the room, going up the soaked walls. The electricity poured into the beast, making him scream in pain as the yellow bolts illuminated his body. The entire room flashed yellow and black, going from absolute light to utter darkness. Depa squinted, but could see nothing of the beast other than his general, large, bulky shape. She jumped out of the window in the room and landed outside, smiling in satisfaction at the sound of the beast screaming. A threat averted, she thought happily.

But she was worried nonetheless.

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**Location: **_**Lucrehulk **_**cruiser **_**Malicious**_

**Status: Blockading**

Xalma, Slinker and Stinker where just heading for the shuttle when her comm went off.

"Yes?"

"General Xalma, there appears to be an electrical explosion on the planet." A droid reported.

Xalma looked out of the viewport to see a small yellow light on the moon below.

"The dark side nexus is coming from there." Stinker said.

"Agreed. Fire at will." She ordered viciously.

Massive turbolaser blasts emitted form her ship, crashing into the yellow spot, billowing up flame.

"Get five squads. And let's go." Xalma ordered, as the bombardment continued.

The two nodded. You couldn't be too careful in the face of the unknown.

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**Location: Canyon, Darkron**

**Status: Escaping**

Deena looked up at the massive lightshow that was going on behind them. Depa had certainly done a number and it only got better when Xalma ordered a bombardment of the area.

"Come on master..." Greeta moaned.

"Your master is fine." Depa said, emerging from a crevice.

"Master!" Greeta cried and hugged her.

"I'm fine. But that creature..." she said, shuddering.

"What was it?" Gravix asked curiously.

"Something of great power and strength. I couldn't get a good look. He said there were more like him as well. I fear we could all be in very grave danger." She said.

Thalin smiled.

"Not anymore. Look." He said.

Depa looked up to see red turbolaser blasts thudding into the old outpost. Depa smiled.

"Good. Very good." She said happily.

The team continued on, and Depa breathed a sigh of relief. The threat was over. She hoped.

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**Location: Research outpost, Darkron**

**Status: Destroyed**

Xalma looked at the wreckage of the old outpost. Charred rubble was all that remained. The dark side nexus had gone too.

"Well whatever it was it's gone now." Slinker stated.

"Perhaps not quite." Stinker said.

He brought a brown sheet of metal to her. Or at least thats what she thought it was at first. Then she realised it was actually a hard skin casing, like scales.

"What sort of creature did this come off?" she wondered aloud.

"Dont know. But Billaba fried it whatever it was." Stinker said, kicking up a smaller piece of scale.

"Curious." Xalma said, slightly troubled.

A hologram of Dooku shimmered to life.

"General Xalma." He greeted.

"Master. What do you make of this?" she asked.

Dooku peered at the scale.

"Looks like a scale off of something. Why?"

"I think it belongs to the dark side nexus we felt."

Dooku frowned.

"Strange. Is it gone?" he asked.

"Yes. Billaba fried it and then I bombarded it for good measure." She said.

"Good. Well, an unsolved mystery. Perhaps its best that way, prevent anything happening." He said musingly.

"Yes. Now that that's dealt with..." she said.

A droid came up to her.

"General, we have found Billaba's group. They are heading to the other outpost."

"Excellent."

"And there's a Massassi village in the way too mam."

Xalma smiled evilly.

"Wonderful. Prepare all forces for our final attack. It is time to crush the Jedi!" she said.

"Well good..." Dooku said as she turned him off.

"Let us crush Billaba once and for all. And I have a little something special planned for this one." She smiled.

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**Location: Dooku's Estate, Serenno**

**Status: Resigned**

"I give up." He said, rolling his eyes.

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**Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

**Status: Worried**

"Rescue Master Billaba we must!" Yoda said, tapping his stick forcefully.

He was small, green and wizened, and the most powerful Jedi in the Order.

"I agree. We should never have sent her that route. Force knows how many have died." Mace said, shaking his head.

Depa was Mace's former Padawan, a tall dark human man with a bald head and a stern look.

"Agreed. We shall save Depa." Saesee said, nodding.

He was a horned Ikotoch, stern and determined and the best pilot in the Order.

"We can take three ships to try and break that Separatist woman's blockade. Then we can rescue Depa." Adi said.

Adi was a Corellian diplomat's daughter, a powerful Jedi master, who wore a Tholoth headdress.

Yoda nodded.

"I will rescue Depa with Adi. Saesee can lead our fighter attack." Mace said, nodding to his friend.

"Then with you, may the Force be." Yoda said and the three Jedi left to rescue their friend.

**Ugh, that scene in the outpost gave me the jeebies.**

**What was that mysterious creature Depa faced? Have we seen the last of him or his ilk? I think not somehow**

**However, we now get down to escaping! Next chapter is the last one! Then we go onto Lovetorn, which will have a change in it. I'll let you think that one over.**

**Deaths are to come next chapter! Will they escape Darkron? Will the others get there in time? All will soon be revealed! Until then, please read and review!**


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